Cook makes a stellar start

Opener grinds out debut century as South Africa enjoy good day

In November 1992 at Kingsmead in Durban, Stephen James Cook, on his Test debut for South Africa, edged the first ball of the match from Kapil Dev to Sachin Tendulkar at second slip.

Twenty-four years later at Supersport Park in Centurion, Stephen Craig Cook, on his Test debut for South Africa, got one over his father when he opened his account with a fine innings of 115.

On a day he must have thought would never come – he had played 165 first-class matches, amassing well in excess of 11,000 runs with 35 centuries prior to being given the nod – Cook gave weight to the adage of not being able to buy experience with a disciplined effort that will rightly take the headlines.

Hashim Amla ensured Cook didn’t hog all the glory with a century of his own – his 25^th in Test cricket after being dropped early on by Jonny Bairstow/Alastair Cook – but we all know what he can do.

Those struggles in India and at Durban in the series opener seemed like a distant memory as Amla , in his own wristy manner, gave the off-side boundary a decent peppering with a selection of drives off seam and spin alike.

His second-wicket partnership with the debutant realised 202 after Dean Elgar had departed in the 11^th over and provided a neat contrast in styles before Amla edged Ben Stokes on to his stumps shortly after the tea interval.

AB de Villiers departed soon after when a careless waft outside off stump from Stuart Broad gave Joe Root the opportunity to take a smart catch at second slip and JP Duminy, back in the side in the place of the dropped Faf du Plessis, lasted for a shade short of an hour before Moeen hit him plumb in front.

Temba Bavuma and the recalled Quinton de Kock saw the hosts through to stumps with relative ease in an unbroken stand of 56 which came with the scoreboard showing 329 For 5 and South Africa in a good position.

But back to Cook. A debut so late in a career hints at either a face that doesn’t fit or a game that isn’t up to scratch.

The statistics suggest it isn’t the latter and nobody in the South African hierarchy is going to admit it’s the former but all we know is that he’s here and he’s making a pretty good fist of it so far.

With a style reminiscent of a certain Steve Waugh, Cook gets right back across his stumps, prefers playing off the back foot and squirts the ball square off the wicket more often than not but it’s mightily effective.

He was put down by Bairstow when just short of his half-century but I doubt he’s too fussed.

In the 320 minutes he spent at the crease, Cook hit 14 boundaries, left judiciously and showed off a game that has ‘Test opener’ written all over it.

The home side’s batting has been a weak link in the series and Elgar’s opening partner a significant chink in the armour.

Cook’s emergence, while too late to salvage anything but pride this time around, may have shortened the next selction meeting.