ALASTAIR Cook’s 19th Test century cemented England’s dominant position on the second afternoon of the third npower Test against India at Edgbaston.
Cook (129 n.o.) went above three notables in David Gower, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen in England’s all-time list of centurions, and now trails only five of his countrymen. He is level with two more – Len Hutton and his own captain Andrew Strauss, with whom he shared an opening stand of 186 in a teatime 319 for two as England approached their last lap in pursuit of number one spot in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings.
Cook and Strauss (87) began the morning on 84 and added more than a hundred following a rain-delayed start until the captain was controversially dismissed during an extended afternoon session.
Strauss and Cook’s first century opening stand in 10 attempts since last Christmas at Melbourne certainly put them in charge, in reply to India’s 224 all out. It was soon abundantly clear they were in no hurry, merely intent on grinding out consolidation of previous gains.
But no one in the home crowd was complaining as it became evident England were sealing an advantage from which victory, a series-clinching 3-0 lead and world-beating status are the obvious consequences.
Cook and Strauss were beginning to threaten several of their own partnership records when the captain was bowled round his pads, sweeping at leg-spinner Amit Mishra but it appeared that umpire Simon Taufel had missed a Mishra over-step and therefore failed to call a no-ball. (PA Sport)