Pakistan vs. England, 1st Test, Day 4: Alastair Cook Runs into the Record Books
Alastair Cook's personal assault on the record books finally came to an end late on Day 4 of the first Test between England and Pakistan.
A flat pitch in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, allowed Cook to fill his boots. He did that and more, making 263 in an innings that lasted just the 13 hours and 56 minutes.
To put the England's captain's efforts into context, you could watch The Godfather trilogy twice over and still have time for a long walk in the same amount of time Cook occupied the crease.
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Bad light ended play early with England on 569 for eight, meaning they lead Pakistan by 46 runs with a day to go.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out some of the major talking points from Friday's play. We promise it won't take you anywhere near 836 minutes to read through it.
Captain Marvel
When Shoaib Malik was dismissed for 245 in Pakistan's first innings, he looked almost relieved to be out.
Having batted for 420 deliveries, he was physically spent to such an extent that the all-rounder was reportedly placed on a drip due to dehydration, according to Agence France-Presse (h/t Cricket Country).
Yet when Cook was finally out for 263, caught at short fine leg having top-edged a sweep, he looked rather bemused at the shot he had played.
After 528 balls at the crease, he had to drag himself off due to disappointment rather than physical exhaustion.
A triple century had been there for the taking, not to mention the chance to go past the 333 not out made by his good friend and longtime mentor, Graham Gooch.
Such are Cook's mental and physical powers, it was a surprise he made a mistake at all. It just looked like he could just keep going on and on and on.
The left-hander didn't move through the gears at any stage. That's because he doesn't have any gears; he just progresses at one, moderate pace, like one of the tractors he drives on his farm in Bedfordshire.
Twitter was alight, as cricket statisticians pointed out the records Cook had set during his innings. There were also a few who couldn't help but poke fun at the expense of others:
As for the importance of his innings in terms of the game, Captain Cook had set the tone for England in his own style. He led by example, despite having spent nearly two full days in the field before even facing a ball.
Reversing Trends
For a brief period of time on the fourth afternoon, the match actually saw a contest between bat and ball.
Pakistan's Wahab Riaz produced a spell of fast bowling that was a sight for sore eyes, considering the tepid nature of the rest of the match.
Poor Ben Stokes walked out to the middle and into the eye of a storm.
With the ball moving late in the air, the left-arm paceman arrowed in full deliveries at Stokes’ toes, and there were a number of loud shouts for leg before wicket that proved unsuccessful.
His mastery of reverse swing was outstanding, though his efforts went unrewarded, as Stokes somehow survived.
Still, Wahab again demonstrated his abilities at the highest level.
During the World Cup earlier in the year, he put Australia—and Shane Watson in particular—on the back foot with some seriously hostile short-pitched bowling in Adelaide.
In Abu Dhabi, though, he caused all the problems by bowling as full as possible. The only similarity between the two spells was the pace at which Wahab was bowling.
Too many more pitches like the one at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, though, and he may just decide not to bother bending his back in the future.
Positive Spin
Yasir Shah is the only spinner who has seen his reputation enhanced during the Test—and that’s only because he’s not playing in it.
A back spasm ruled Shah out of the opening match of the series, though it is hoped he will play in the second Test, according to Umar Farooq of ESPN Cricinfo.
He has been sorely missed in Abu Dhabi, as Pakistan were forced to field just the one front-line spinner—Zulfiqar Babar, who has taken one for 180—in their final XI.
Shah has taken 61 wickets in his 10 Test appearances, with his scalps coming at an impressive strike rate of 48.1.
The first Test would have been much better for his presence, even if it may not have altered the final outcome.
But as he sat and watched his team-mates toil in the field, Shah may have felt it was a good match to miss. Pakistan, and the series as a whole, needs him back bowling in Dubai next week.
Supporting Cast
Looking beyond the efforts of Cook, England’s management team will be pleased that the majority of the top six have enjoyed some time in the middle.
Ian Bell (63), Joe Root (85) and Ben Stokes (57) all made half-centuries in support of their captain.
While they were unable to go on and reach three figures, they did at least acclimatise to conditions and get a good look at Pakistan’s bowling attack (minus Shah, of course).
The short nature of tours in modern cricket gives players little time for match practice prior to the real action getting underway.
Stokes, for instance, had faced just 23 deliveries in two warm-up matches against Pakistan A. The all-rounder would not have faced anyone like Wahab, for instance, but will be better off for the experience.
The only member of the top seven who failed to make it into double figures was Jonny Bairstow. He was trapped leg before wicket by the impressive Wahab for eight.
What next in this Test?
It's going to be a draw.
Well, there is a slim chance England could yet put a little pressure on Pakistan. Their lead stands at only 46, meaning the "home" nation could have a little work to do with the bat.
A couple of early wickets from England's seamers could create a few nerves in the Pakistan dressing room, right?
It's an ambitious thought, considering that in four days of action only 16 wickets have fallen. To ask 10 to go down in a hurry seems about as likely as October snow in the United Arab Emirates.
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