South Africa A vs England: Alastair Cook and Joe Root in the mood to end great year on a high

South Africa A England 414-6 dec

Alastair Cook plays a shot on his way to 126 against South Africa A (Reuters)

All is calm, all is bright. England’s preparations for the start of the Test series on Saturday are going along superbly: cruising like Santa’s sleigh through crisp snow, though there is little of that hereabouts.

The captain, Alastair Cook, scored a hundred today, his 51st in first-class cricket, the vice-captain, Joe Root, matched him with his 16th. Alex Hales and Ben Stokes made fifties, the latter’s 66 from 47 balls following his coruscating hundred in Potchefstroom last week. The tourists lead South Africa A, who have not acquitted themselves with particular distinction, by 243 runs.

It has not quite been the demanding practice match that England might have anticipated and indeed were warned they could expect. But they have been efficient in every way and have, as they like to say, covered every base.

The hosts’ bowling was marmalised as their batting had been dismembered on the first day. If this is South Africa A you really have to wonder what C, D and E might be like. Which is not to say, of course, that the real thing, South Africa without any letters, will be anything other than formidable in Durban on Boxing Day and beyond.

England might have liked another practice match but with all the top-six batsmen in their Test order now having made at least one fifty or hundred, they cannot claim to be underdone in that department. They may like some more overs in their bowlers’ legs, though the man who will lead the attack, Jimmy Anderson, has himself opted to miss virtually all of the first two matches save for five overs and a spot of fielding in Potchefstroom.

England declared at 414 for 6, their opponents are 35 for 2 in their second innings and if the match proceeds in the fashion that it has in the past few days, this should be a comfortable win. Stephen Cook, who carried his bat in the first innings, was out to Stuart Broad in the fifth over. All this is heartening, though Root sounded notes of caution.

Alex Hales made 56 but again caused concern by losing his off stump after shouldering arms (Getty)

“It’s a huge challenge playing the No 1 side in the world in their conditions,” he said. “We’re going to have to play really well but we have done really special things in the summer and started well in this game. Hopefully that’s something we can take forward and keep on improving.

“There are still things to work on. It didn’t go as well as we’d have really liked last week but the way we have approached this game has been really pleasing. We mustn’t get too far ahead of ourselves and take it session by session and make sure we’re competing.”

It seems almost churlish to mention the manner of Hales’ dismissal after he had made 56 in an innings that was at first dogged and then became fluent. When he played a delectable on-drive for four off the one-day international Chris Morris, he finally, firmly looked to be in.

A few minutes later he shouldered arms to a straight ball that clattered into his off stump. This can happen. But it happened to Hales in Potchefstroom last week too when at least he could offer the explanation that the ball cut back sharply. No such excuse could be forthcoming yesterday.

The misjudgement was much the worse because Hales has been observed these last few days practising his leave in the nets. It is one of the most important parts of the opening batsman’s armoury but it must be used judiciously. Root was having none of it.

He said: “I think it’s vitally important for him to have made some runs. It was the manner he did it – pressure, tough conditions, seaming and swinging around against a good attack – and that will stand him in really good stead leading up to that first game.”

There have been many such milestones for Cook in England colours – 89 now, 35 of which he has converted into a hundred – but he seems as acquisitive and assiduous as ever. He will go into the match on Saturday needing 125 runs to overtake Michael Vaughan’s record of 1,481 Test runs in a year, set in 2002 (and 23 to beat Dennis Amiss’s 1974 tally).

Root, who was wonderfully in control, is himself 193 runs behind Vaughan. Do not think it is beyond him despite his expressed disappointment that he had not converted sufficient fifties to hundreds (eight and three). What this England total said as much as anything was that Cook and Root are still likely to be England’s gun batsmen in the coming series as they have been all year since they set off on the programme of 17 Tests.

Without wishing the remotest slump on either of them it would be handy if someone else could outscore both of them or at least split them up. At this time of year, it is not too much to expect another batsman to come to the aid of the party.