England vs. India: Alastair Cook nears half-century in his final Test
Opener hits unbeaten 46 and fans at The Oval will be willing him to score a ton

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Cook still has an appetite for runs
Alastair Cook finished the third day of England’s fifth Test against India unbeaten on 46. The Oval crowd will be willing him to make history by scoring a century today.
The last England batsman to sign off his Test career with a hundred was Nasser Hussain against New Zealand in 2004. Before him it was Colin Milburn in 1969.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It’s a rare accomplishment, therefore, but it would fitting for Cook if he became only the third Englishman in 50 years to achieve the feat.
Famous five
Cook, who is playing his 161st and final Test, is England’s leading run-scorer in Test cricket and if he scores 30 more today he will pass the 12,400 runs compiled by Kumar Sangakkara and move into fifth spot on the all-time list.
That will be of secondary importance to Cook, a team man through and through, who yesterday helped steer his side through a tough afternoon when Keaton Jennings and Moeen Ali fell cheaply. That brought Joe Root to the wicket and together with Cook the pair took England from 62-2 to 114-2 at the close.
India tail wags
That gives the home side a lead of 154, a strong position to be in against an Indian team with a reputation for failing fourth innings run chases.
That they are still in the game was due to impressive knocks from debutant Hanuma Vihari (56) and a rip-roaring 86 not out from Ravindra Jadeja.
That got the tourists up to a respectable 292 all out. When Jennings once more gave away his wicket (and quite possibly his place on the plane to Sri Lanka this autumn) and Ali went for 20, India were on the up.
Irreplaceable
Cook and Root brought them back down to earth and all eyes will be on the departing legend today to see if he can score a 33rd Test century.
“It’d be fantastic, wouldn’t it?” said England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, when asked about the possibility of Cook bowing out with a ton.
“I think he’s just enjoying milking all the applause he’s getting. I think it’s just driving him on to bat as long as he possibly can.”
Cook made a century on Test debut 12 years ago against India and in 291 innings since he has amassed 12,371 runs, but Farbrace said it’s not just what he does with his bat that England will struggle to replace.
“He just seems to cope with everything that’s in front of him,” he explained. “As much as we’re going to miss his runs and his catches, I think the calming influence he has among the team, the staff, everybody… is something we’ll all miss when he’s not in the dressing room.”
One final glimpse
In the meantime there’s one last chance to watch the great man in action. As former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted last night: “With Alastair Cook 46 not out I recommend every Cricket Fan to be at the Oval tomorrow please.”
Today’s play starts at 11am.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
When will your favorite show be back now that the writers strike is over?
The Explainer Here's when to expect new episodes of the late-night shows, 'SNL,' and more
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
What is biochar?
The Explainer The charcoal alternative formed from biomass could become the next climate solution
By Devika Rao Published
-
The Ashes: can England mount a glorious comeback?
feature ‘Herculean’ task follows ugly scenes at controversial second test
By The Week Staff Published
-
English cricket is ‘racist, sexist and elitist’, says independent report
Speed Read Chair of governing body apologises after crushing indictment of the sport ‘at all levels’
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
England are the ‘undisputed kings’ of white-ball cricket
feature Ben Stokes scored the winning run as England beat Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final
By Mike Starling Published
-
Ben Stokes and England set up a ‘grand finale’ against South Africa
feature In an old-school Test victory at Old Trafford, England’s captain scored a century and took four crucial wickets
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Alarm bells’ for authorities: is there too much cricket being played?
Talking Point Ben Stokes quitting one-day internationals has sparked a debate over the packed schedule
By Mike Starling Published
-
‘Bazball’: England cricket’s glorious new look
Why Everyone’s Talking About A staggering turnaround has taken place under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes
By The Week Staff Published
-
England’s epic win: Test cricket that was ‘quite simply, out of this world’
Why Everyone’s Talking About Victory over New Zealand was one of the most ‘glorious and scintillating’ in England’s history
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ben Stokes: from the ‘Bristol incident’ to England’s Test captaincy
Why Everyone’s Talking About Durham all-rounder has been confirmed as Joe Root’s replacement
By Mike Starling Published