ENG v WI, 1st Test, Day 2 Review: Cook hammers a double, England post a mammoth first innings total

A long wait for a three-digit score ended in some style for Alastair Cook as he slammed a double ton and helped England post 514 runs in their first innings. West Indies bowlers did pull things back in their favour in the second session and they managed to withhold the run flow, but still, they are 470 runs behind.

Dawid Malan caught up exactly where he left the other day and was keen to score valuable runs to save his place in the side. Both these players made batting look ridiculously easy and the Windies bowlers were left scratching their heads.

Malan soon registered his first half-century in Test cricket and the gritty knock from the lad helped his experienced partner collect runs at a brisk pace. The former English skipper started to toil with the Caribbean bowlers, who made no significant effort to either restrict the run flow or get a breakthrough.

Then came the moment people were waiting for quite eagerly. Cook completed his fourth double-ton in Tests with a boundary towards backward point. Edgbaston was on its feet to salute the genius of this man, who was barely sweating after working so hard for almost 9 hours.

In the last over of the first session, Roston Chase finally provided his side with a much-needed wicket and sent Malan on his way back. He had scored 65 off 139 balls and stitched an astonishing 162-run stand with Cook. England looked well on course for a total of 600 or more, but an unexpected twist in the tale halted their plans.

Chase leads the Caribbean fightback

Whilst the fast bowlers made little use of the new ball by bowling wayward lengths, Roston Chase was the lone warrior for the visitors. The second session was all about the offie’s terrific rendition of finger spin, which spun a web around and caught the batters in a stranglehold. Ben Stokes was the first man to depart in the second session and that embarked a flabbergasting English collapse.

Chase did have a fabulous outing on Day 2, but Cook made a mockery of him and kept spanking boundaries at will. Jonny Bairstow stuck in for a little while, but skipper Jason Holder finally picked up a wicket by rattling his sticks with the help of an inside-edge. Moeen Ali walked back without troubling the scorers as Chase deceived him with his flight.

Cook and Toby Roland-Jones added few more runs to the scoreboard, before Cook’s dismissal instigated declaration. Whilst they kept dreaming of a gigantic total, all they could manage was 514 for the loss of eight wickets. Cook departed after scoring a mind-boggling 243 off 407 balls each and every soul inside the stadium was applauding this batting genius.

Anderson off the mark with the pink ball

The king of swing, James Anderson was handed the pink ball and it couldn’t get more tantalizing. The maestro didn’t take a lot of time to pick up his first wicket the pink ball as Kraigg Brathwaite fell prey to an absolute scorcher. Anderson’s out-swinging delivery took Brathwaite’s outside edge on its way to Bairstow’s gloves and the opener walked back to the gallery without scoring a run.

Kyle Hope and Kieran Powell were handed the tough task of facing the music, but the duo managed to end the day comprehensively. Hope struck few boundaries off the quick bowlers and Powell displayed a strong defensive play. West Indies finished Day 2 at 44/1 in 16 overs and they will need a solid start on Day 3 to condense the big total.

Brief Scores

England first innings: 514/8 decl. (Alastair Cook 243, Joe Root 136; Roston Chase 4/113)

West Indies first innings: 44/1 (Kyle Hope 25*; James Anderson 1/17)