News
12 Aug 2011, 08:34 pm
Summary
Unbeaten on 182, Cook tops 2011 run-scorers’ list
Birmingham, Aug 11: Alastair Cook. The name was signed across Day 2 at Edgbaston with a flourish. Remaining unbeaten on 182 runs, the England opener made his way to the top of the list of leading run-scorers in Tests this calendar year. Alternately benefitting from copybook strokes and bits of luck, Cook snuffed the life out of the Indian attack and left them with the prospect of more misery come Day 3. Sharing two century stands, Cook stood tall as England stretched their lead to 232. Here’s a look at the day’s story in numbers.
Playing his 71st Test, Alastair Cook (182*) scored his 19th century. Among England players, only two – Wally Hammond and Len Hutton – have scored as many centuries after their first 71 Tests.
Cook more than doubled his tally of runs at Edgbaston. In his seven previous innings Cook had aggregated only 163 runs at 27.16.
Cook’s century is the first by an England opener against India in England since Michael Vaughan’s 195 at the Oval in 2002.
Cook has now become the leading run-scorer in 2011, moving ahead of fellow team-mate Ian Bell’s tally of 715 runs. The accompanying table lists the leading run-scorers in Test cricket this year:
Batsmen | Mts | Inns | Runs | Hs | Avg | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AN Cook (Eng) | 7 | 10 | 781 | 189 | 86.77 | 4 | 2 |
IR Bell (Eng) | 7 | 10 | 715 | 159 | 102.14 | 4 | 2 |
R Dravid (Ind) | 7 | 13 | 571 | 117 | 51.90 | 3 | 1 |
KP Pietersen (Eng) | 7 | 10 | 556 | 202 | 61.77 | 1 | 4 |
MJ Prior (Eng) | 7 | 8 | 496 | 126 | 70.85 | 3 | 2 |
VVS Laxman (Ind) | 7 | 13 | 444 | 87 | 40.36 | 0 | 5 |
Misbah-ul-Haq | 4 | 7 | 412 | 102 | 82.40 | 1 | 4 |
· The 186-run partnership between Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss is England’s third-best for the opening wicket against India.
England's highest opening partnerships against India
Runs | Batsmen | Venue | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
225 | GA Gooch & MA Atherton | Manchester | 1990 |
204 | GA Gooch & MA Atherton | Lord's | 1990 |
186 | AN Cook & AJ strauss | Brimingham | 2011 |
178 | G Flower & RT Robinson | Madras | 1984 - 85 |
176 | GA Gooch & MA Atherton | The Oval | 1990 |
· Cook and Strauss became only the fourth pair in Test cricket to aggregate 4000 runs together for the first wicket, joining Gordon Greenidge & Desmond Haynes, Michael Hayden & Justin Langer, and Marvan Atapattu & Sanath Jayasuriya.
Most successful opening pairs in Test cricket
Batsmen | Inns | Runs | Best | Avg | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CG Greenidge & DL Haynes (WI) | 148 | 6482 | 298 | 47.31 | 16 | 26 |
ML Hayden & JL langer (Aus) | 113 | 5655 | 255 | 51.88 | 14 | 24 |
MS Atapattu & ST Jayasuriya (SL) | 118 | 4469 | 335 | 40.26 | 9 | 24 |
AN Cook & AJ Strauss (Eng) | 96 | 4072 | 229 | 43.31 | 11 | 16 |
MJ Slater & MA Taylor (Aus) | 78 | 3887 | 260 | 51.14 | 10 | 16 |
· Cook and Strauss have now posted 11 century partnerships for the opening wicket. This puts them at the fourth place in the all-time list.
Most century-partnerships for the opening wicket
16 | CG Greeidge & Dl Haynes | WI |
|---|---|---|
15 | JB Hobbs & H Sutcliffe | Eng |
14 | ML Hayden & Jl Langer | Aus |
11 | AN Cook & AJ Strauss | Eng |
10 | SM Gavaskar & CPS Chauhan | Ind |
10 | MA Taylor & MJ Slater | Aus |
10 | G Gambhir & V Sehwag | Ind |
· Amit Mishra has so far bowled eight no-balls in the innings. In his career of 12 Tests, Mishra has bowled 69 no-balls – 5.75 no-balls every Test.
· England scored 372 runs for the loss of three wickets in the day. On the third day of the Nottingham Test, England had scored 417 runs for the loss of five wickets.
