Shropshire Star

Alastair Cook’s 243 gives England complete control at Edgbaston

West Indies finish day two of second test 44 for one after England declared on 514 for eight at Edgbaston.

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Alastair Cook’s chanceless Edgbaston vigil ended at last on 243 but still maintained England’s dominant position on a rain-shortened second day of the first Investec Test against West Indies.

Cook posted a 339-ball double-hundred, after resuming on 153, during a fourth-wicket stand of 162 with Dawid Malan (65) out of the hosts’ 514 for eight declared in this country’s inaugural day-night Test.

James Anderson then threatened to make short work of West Indies’ reportedly fragile top order, seeing off Kraigg Brathwaite for a duck before the tourists recovered to 44 for one by the time forecast heavy rain brought an early close and wiped out the majority of the third session under lights.

Stat of the day

Cook added another impressive record to his burgeoning collection, unseating David Gower to become the top run-scorer at Edgbaston. Both men have currently played nine Tests and 14 innings at the ground, with Cook now 86 runs clear on 856. His 294 here stands as the highest individual innings.

Night watch

The ‘night’ element of this historic ‘day/night’ Test has not quite yielded the desired results. On Thursday the stands emptied as the temperatures plunged and public transport wound down and on Friday rain settled in before the lights had taken full effect, robbing the occasion of its most visually striking passage.

There are three days yet of this experiment but the anticipated difficulties of the English summer have been quick to reveal themselves.

Walker on the way

Kent head coach Matt Walker has been lined up by the England hierarchy to deputise for assistant coach Paul Farbrace in next year’s T20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.

The ECB will not be making a formal announcement about their backroom teams for the winter until the end of the domestic season but it is understood newspaper reports of a secondment for the 43-year-old, who gelled well with the group when attending net sessions earlier this year, are correct.

Tweet of the day

Broadcaster Mark Pougatch (@markpougatch) reviews the tourists’ efforts in the field with a heavy heart.

Turning back the clock

The last time England declared in the first innings of a match against the West Indies was May 2009 at Chester-le-Street. Cook was key to the cause eight years ago too, making 160 in the home side’s 569 for six. He is one of three survivors from that game, alongside James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

What’s next?

England still retain the whip hand in this contest but will be eager not to lose any more time or momentum on day three. The West Indies will be mindful that the weather spared them a tricky twilight spell and that batting long against the softening pink ball is far from impossible. But with victory all but impossible, will the tourists have the stomach to fight?

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