Silence all round as the day’s star turn falls a little short on his final mission
Crowd disappointed as opener fails to deliver the predicted century, writes Nick Hoult ‘It was really weird ... such a nice gesture by Virat but you just focus on batting ’
For 190 balls and 263 minutes, Joe Root’s comment that an Alastair Cook hundred was “written in the stars” looked to be a masterful piece of astrology. The crowd were willing it and there was silence when an inside edge cannoned on to his stumps snuffing out the fairytale sign-off. Instead, Cook was on his way for 71 runs, clutching only the consolation of another halfcentury up on his record. It was a day of classic Cook, classic Test cricket and classic England. Cook did what he has done for 12 years and 161 matches. He occupied the crease playing his three shots – the cut, the pull and the nudge – taking his tally of runs to 12,325 and his total number of leaves to 5,256, a bulging logbook of self-control.
For the first half of the day the Test meandered along at 2.2 runs an over with little happening. It was a throwback fitting for the farewell of a player born for an age of old-fashioned cricketing values.
Cook’s dismissal then sparked a spectacular England collapse, a national trait. The only thing missing was English rain. Instead, the sun shone and the Oval looked spectacular, the arena perfectly set for Cook to bow out in style. But Cook has always been more about substance than style. He has spent the week playing down his achievements, assessing himself as “not the most talented” player. Others have instead provided the glowing words of praise. Andrew Strauss presented him with a commemorative cap before play with his number of Test matches, 161, stitched on the front and later told Sky Sports that Cook retires as England’s “greatest-ever player”.
The Professional Cricketers’ Association published a montage of tributes from 70 of the 74 Test cricketers Cook has played alongside for England. Most were simple well dones, the northern contributions (mainly from Durham) referred to a “posh choir boy”, while James Anderson played the old gag of pretending he thought the camera had been turned off. “Don’t even like the bloke anyway, all he bangs on about is lambing season this, lambing season that.”
The notable absentees were Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, the latter less surprising, although he was at the Oval paying a rare visit to an English ground.
Cook joined the millions of Londoners commuting to work in the morning when he travelled to the Oval on the tube with Keaton Jennings.
Cook walked out with Jerusalem
playing and through an India guard of honour. Jennings skirted around the outside leaving his partner to walk through alone to soak up the loud applause, stopping briefly for a handshake with Virat Kohli.
“It all happened so quickly,” Cook said. “It was really weird. It was such a nice gesture by Virat, but you just focus on batting. You don’t really appreciate it.”
Donald Bradman lasted two balls in his final Test innings at the Oval, bowled on a wet pitch after England had been dismissed for 52. Conditions were more benign for Cook, who was greeted by a new-ball attack that bowled too short, a slip cordon that dropped chances and opponents resembling a beaten side playing a dead rubber.
He was off the mark with a push through the covers for three, clipped Ishant Sharma off his legs for his first boundary and pulled Jasprit Bumrah through midwicket for four when he dropped short.
Cook has never butchered attacks, just punished bowlers for bad balls. He has one gear and was happy to motor along at his own pace visibly relaxing once he had
judged conditions. Batting became harder after lunch because India bowled far better. Sharma bowled around the wicket and found his length, bringing Cook on the front foot to draw him into the danger area that has been his weakness.
Cook was dropped at gully by Ajinkya Rahane on 37, but doggedly saw off the threat, eventually driving Sharma for four.
“This is vintage Cook,” said Sunil Gavaskar on Test Match Special as he reached his 57th half-century to trigger another standing ovation.
It was the first half-century by any opener in this series and only the third all summer. Cook willed himself on, moving past 70. For so long this summer, Cook’s dismissals have been predictable. This time it was a surprise, coming from nowhere. Bumrah nipped one back, clipped the inside edge and knocked middle stump over.
There is one more innings, but he is wise enough to know this was his chance to perform his century celebration.
“I’m pleased I got a bit of a score, but I’m disappointed to get out when I did. It was disappointing.” Typically understated to the end.