Cook keen to get back among the runs
England captain hopes to revive form after drawn first Test against SL.
“I’d love to score,” said Cook. “Leading from the front as a captain, you want to score runs — that’s your job as a batsman.” PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
LONDON:
England captain Alastair Cook will hope a return to the scene of his last Test hundred sees him back among the runs, after a thrilling series opener with Sri Lanka ended in a draw at Lord’s.
Cook saw England pile up 575 for nine declared in the first innings at Lord’s on the back of Joe Root’s unbeaten 200 not out, and then be bailed out second time around by a maiden Test century from Gary Ballance.
Ballance’s hundred enabled Cook to declare before Monday’s final day and set Sri Lanka 390 to win.
However, Sri Lanka just did enough to cling on for a draw at 201-9 after last man Nuwan Pradeep saw out the final five balls of the match.
Although Cook was heartened by a new-look England’s performance in their first Test since the 5-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia, the 29-year-old accepted that his own form was a concern.
Scores of 17 and 28 at Lord’s meant it was now 22 innings since Cook compiled the last of his England record 25 hundreds — 130 against New Zealand in May last year. However, the Leeds ground is the venue for Friday’s second and final Test of the Sri Lanka series.
“I’d love to score,” said Cook. “Leading from the front as a captain, you want to score runs — that’s your job as a batsman.”
Meanwhile on the other side, apart from fifties by Kaushal Silva (57) and Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka found runs hard to come by on Monday.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.
England captain Alastair Cook will hope a return to the scene of his last Test hundred sees him back among the runs, after a thrilling series opener with Sri Lanka ended in a draw at Lord’s.
Cook saw England pile up 575 for nine declared in the first innings at Lord’s on the back of Joe Root’s unbeaten 200 not out, and then be bailed out second time around by a maiden Test century from Gary Ballance.
Ballance’s hundred enabled Cook to declare before Monday’s final day and set Sri Lanka 390 to win.
However, Sri Lanka just did enough to cling on for a draw at 201-9 after last man Nuwan Pradeep saw out the final five balls of the match.
Although Cook was heartened by a new-look England’s performance in their first Test since the 5-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia, the 29-year-old accepted that his own form was a concern.
Scores of 17 and 28 at Lord’s meant it was now 22 innings since Cook compiled the last of his England record 25 hundreds — 130 against New Zealand in May last year. However, the Leeds ground is the venue for Friday’s second and final Test of the Sri Lanka series.
“I’d love to score,” said Cook. “Leading from the front as a captain, you want to score runs — that’s your job as a batsman.”
Meanwhile on the other side, apart from fifties by Kaushal Silva (57) and Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka found runs hard to come by on Monday.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2014.