Cook inspires Essex as stubborn century rolls back the years
Alastair Cook hit a century in a competitive match for the first time since his international retirement as Essex took control of their Division One match against Kent.
Cook bowed out of Test cricket with an emotional 147 against India at the Oval last year, but struggled for consistency having returned to the County Championship.
The 34-year-old began the redball season with scores of 50, eight, 11, 31 and 40 not out, after crashing an unbeaten 150 against Cambridge MCCU. But on his 100th first-class appearance for Essex, having made his debut in September 2003, he clocked up a typically gritty century to grind the visitors down. Cook ended up with 125 as Essex suffered a late collapse to reach 303 for eight at the close on the first day.
Kent captain Joe Denly, on his return to county cricket having been left out of England’s World Cup squad, put Essex in to bat without a toss. As the day wore on, it proved a curious decision on a flat and well-paced wicket, albeit with the promising forecast for bowlers of overcast conditions.
Cook chalked up 41 with Nick Browne for the opening wicket. But Browne looked uneasy against Darren Stevens and duly fell victim to one that angled off his bat, with wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson taking the catch in front of first slip.
Tom Westley helped to add 30 to the score with Cook, but flicked Matt Milnes to Stevens.
Meanwhile, Cook was oppressive in his diligence to keep his wicket, scoring just four boundaries in his 128-ball fifty. On the occasions he attacked, Cook showed his quality, with signature cuts and pulls. With Dan Lawrence he helped to add 74 runs, before the former was bowled by Milnes. That started a 130-run stand with Ravi Bopara.
Cook moved to three figures with back-to-back boundaries off Denly. The hundred, which encompassed 208 deliveries, was his first in the Championship since a 193 against Middlesex in June 2017.
The milestones continued for England’s greatest Test run-scorer as he passed 23,000 runs in firstclass matches.
He eventually departed clumsily, as Sean Dickson ran around from slip to square leg to run him out while he attempted to come back for a second leg-bye. It was the first time he had been run out in his Essex red-ball career.
Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate were both dropped, on 35 and one respectively. Bopara capitalised by reaching his 54th first-class fifty, from 97 balls, but the Holland international did not as he steered Harry Podmore to first slip to spark a collapse of three wickets for two runs in 17 balls. Michael Pepper was caught behind and Bopara lbw, both to Stevens, before Peter Siddle nicked behind in the penultimate over of the day.