Pakistan vs England report: Alastair Cook century gives tourists hopes of comeback

The England captain's 28th Test hundred edged his side back into encounter

Cook watches the ball after mistiming a shot on the third day of the First Test (Getty Images)

After two spirit-crushing days in the field, watching Alastair Cook remorselessly grind his way to a 28th Test century here yesterday was not only a sight for sore eyes but also sore limbs for those in the England dressing room.

Cook did here what he does best, digging in so deeply during an unbeaten 168 on day three of this first Test against Pakistan that it would not have been a surprise if he had struck water in the middle of the desert.

The 30-year-old opener is already England’s leading century-maker in Tests, now five clear of his nearest rival Kevin Pietersen, and it would be a major surprise if he did not reach the third double-hundred of his career today.

England’s captain relishes situations such as these, coming into bat on the second evening with his team up against it after Pakistan had piled up a first-innings total of 523 for 8 declared. But after surviving an early scare from only the second delivery of his innings, when he almost handled the ball as it fell towards his stumps, Cook is still at the crease 327 balls later.

Of batsmen who do not hail from the subcontinent, only South Africa’s Jacques Kallis now has more runs in Asian conditions.

Ian Bell, who found some form with a 63, described Cook’s innings as a “masterclass”. And it was. Solid in defence and prudent in his execution of attacking shots, the Essex batsman drove Pakistan’s bowlers to distraction.

Cook offered up only one real chance in his obdurate knock, coming on 147 when, with a rare lapse in timing, he top-edged a sweep off the bowling of left-arm spinner Zulfiqur Baba towards substitute fielder Fawad Alam at deep square leg. The opportunity went down.

Cook threw away the chance for the only triple-century of his career at Edgbaston four years ago when he holed out to India’s Rohit Sharma when he was on 294. Now he is aiming to better that. “I’d take 295 tomorrow,” Cook said. “I said if I ever got close to 294 again, I wouldn’t get out caught at deep point... Not that it still bugs me or anything,” he added with a grin.

With England on 290 for 3 and now just 34 runs shy of avoiding the follow-on, Cook’s innings has in all probability condemned this match to a draw. If he keeps batting today, don’t be surprised if England go on to surpass Pakistan’s first-innings total.

The tourists had started this day on the rather less secure position of 56 without loss after Cook and Moeen Ali, his new opening partner, had hunkered down for 21 overs on the second evening. They started the third day well too, Moeen’s score of 35 helping to build an opening stand of 116 before he was out edging the right-arm seam of Imran Khan behind in the 21st over of the morning session.

Moeen’s contribution went some way to justifying the hunch of Trevor Bayliss, England’s Australian coach, that he was right to promote him from the No 8 position from which he had so impressed during this summer’s Ashes victory. The Worcestershire all-rounder is Cook’s seventh opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss in the autumn of 2012. Adam Lyth, the previous incumbent, was jettisoned after a shocking Ashes series in which he averaged a risible 12.77. And after Moeen saw off competition from Alex Hales to join Cook at the top of the order here he helped build the first century stand for an England debut opening partnership since 2004, when Strauss helped put on 190 with Marcus Trescothick against New Zealand at Lord’s.

Moeen, though, will be judged at the end of the series and his departure yesterday brought Bell to the crease. Bell, without a Test century since April, has had a patchy year and, low on form, he needed a big innings, especially after dropping two easy catches during Pakistan’s innings that had cost England 188 runs.

His nerves were apparent during a traumatic start in which he was dropped on one by Shan Masood at silly point four overs before lunch. He went into the interval on the same score after facing 27 balls. He fared little better afterwards, struggling particularly against the spin of Zulfiqur. Yet he survived those early troubles and looked set fair to reach the close unbeaten alongside Cook before he launched Wahab Riaz straight to point in the final half-hour of the day.

Bell admitted afterwards he was “gutted” by that lapse in judgement but in one innings he has at least outstripped his series total from England’s last tour of the UAE in 2012, when he scored just 51 runs across three Tests at an average of 8.5.

That wicket bizarrely brought Mark Wood to the crease as a nightwatchman, despite the fact that just 10 wickets had fallen in three days. Wood, though, lasted only seven balls, playing a needless attacking shot to Wahab and chopping on to his stumps.

Joe Root, England’s form batsman across all formats, survived the final 2.2 overs of the day and will no doubt expect to cash in today on this benign pitch.

There have been 780 balls delivered by spinners so far in this Test and they have failed to take a wicket. As such the surface has sparked criticism from Mushtaq Ahmed, the former England spin coach who is now in charge of Pakistan’s twirlers.

Asked if this was a good pitch for Test cricket, Mushtaq replied: “Not really, no. If I’m honest with you it makes the cricket dull.”

Sadly, not many would argue with him.