Steady Cook Gives England Hope

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Alastair Cook batted throughout day four to give England renewed hope of saving the first Test against India.

England closed on 340-5 in their second innings, a lead of 10 runs, after Cook and Matt Prior shared an unbroken partnership of 141 in 51 overs.

The sixth-wicket pair had come together with the tourists, who had been asked to follow-on the previous day, in deep trouble at 199-5.

Cook, in his first match since succeeding Andrew Strauss as England's Test captain, closed on 168 not out and has spent more than eight hours at the crease, facing 341 balls and hitting 20 fours so far. Prior found the boundary 10 times in an increasingly fluent 84 not out.

England's prospects of even taking their fight into the final day looked bleak when Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen all departed during the morning session after they resumed on 111-0.

Compton added three runs to his overnight 34 before being trapped lbw by left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan (1-38) with a delivery that held its line from over-the-wicket.

Trott made a start, reaching 17 off 43 balls but edged behind off India left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha (2-102), Mahendra Singh Dhoni holding a smart catch.

Ojha bowled Pietersen (2) for the second time in the match in his next over, Pietersen missing with a premeditated sweep.

England went to lunch on 182-3 but suffered a double blow in early afternoon when seam bowler Umesh Yadav (2-60) pinned Ian Bell (22) and Samit Patel (0) lbw with successive deliveries.

Cook, who became the first person in Test history to make centuries in each of his first three matches as captain, finally found a long-term ally in Prior and, as the day wore on, India began to run short of ideas on a pitch holding together better than anticipated.

India batsman Gautam Gambhir did not take the field on day four, having flown to Delhi following the death of his grandmother.

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Cooking up Career Best Century

Alastair Cook finally reached his 20th Test century as bat dominated ball on the opening day of the first Test between England and South Africa.

Cook had gone 16 innings since turning his 19th century into a career-best 294 at Edgbaston last August, but made 114 not out as England reached 267-3 on a slow pitch at the Kia Oval.

The knock moved Cook level with his Essex mentor and England batting coach Graham Gooch as well as team-mate Kevin Pietersen in fifth place in his country's list of most prolific centurions.

Cook has faltered on 94 twice in the last 12 months but he made no mistake this time, pushing an undemonstrative single to cover off leg-spinner Imran Tahir to complete his five-hour hundred in 222 balls - having hit 11 fours and one six.

He was rightly in no hurry to establish England's position of authority, on a dry pitch of even pace which is expected to become significantly tougher to bat on as this match progresses.

Cook missed few opportunities to score either, though, as he and Trott recovered so impressively from the shock of Andrew Strauss' departure to only the fourth ball of this three-match series.

Hyped

England chose to bat first on a cloudy morning - and after a rogue shower delayed the start by 15 minutes and Strauss lasted barely a couple more, the second-wicket pair shut out South Africa'smuch-hyped attack for more than two sessions.

World number one fast bowler Dale Steyn was off the pitch for treatment to an ankle injury during a much brighter afternoon, but still got through 21 overs to no avail by stumps.

England's day could hardly have started any worse when Strauss was lbw to Morne Morkel, via DRS.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith, as well as Morkel, deserved credit for striking the first blow against his opposite number.

Smith began his 100th Test by promoting Morkel to take the new ball - in place of Steyn, who has shared it with Vernon Philander since the latter began his international career.

It took some courage too, as well as good judgment, to risk a review so early in proceedings - after umpire Steve Davis had turned down Morkel's lbw appeal against the left-hander from round the wicket.

Hawkeye simulated a straightening of the angle and leg-and-middle impact, and England were under significant pressure without a run on the board.

When Strauss had gone for a first-ball duck in his last Test against these opponents, in the innings defeat in Johannesburg two and a half years ago, out-of-sorts Trott played a short and fretful innings he has doubtless been trying to forget ever since.

This time, he drove his first ball calmly past mid-on for four - and a frantic first over concluded with a Steyn misfield in the same position, and two more runs.

Patient

Smith held Steyn back for almost an hour, in awkward batting conditions under floodlights.

Cook and Trott stayed patient, but when South Africa dropped short they began to pick up boundaries across the never-ending Oval square.

For good measure, Cook also counted six with mis-hook at Steyn into the stand at long-leg - only the sixth six of his Test career.

When Cook passed his 50 in mid-afternoon, he also brought up his and Trott's seventh century stand together.

Comparisons with their unbroken 339 in the famous draw in Brisbane at the start of England's 2010/11 Ashes series victory were perhaps a little premature, and in the end the world and Test match players of the year made it only just past halfway to that number before Trott edged a drive behind to give Morkel his second wicket.

His typically determined innings had nonetheless lasted 162 balls, and set the stage not just for Cook to continue but Pietersen to up the ante with his range of stroke.

The latter was caught behind, aiming a pull at Jacques Kallis who ended a stand of 81 with the old ball.

But it was still a chastening day for South Africa.

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Cook and Bresnan Make Wisden

England pair Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan have been named among Wisden's five cricketers of the year.

Cook averaged 84 and Bresnan took 21 wickets in 2011 as England reached the top of the world Test rankings.

Wisden editor Lawrence Booth

"If you look at Tim Bresnan's performances against India he took 16 wickets at an average of 16 and that's better than world class. He's also become our lucky charm, winning 11 Tests out of 11."

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara becomes the first man to be leading cricketer in the world and make the list in the same year.

Lancashire captain Glen Chapple and Worcestershire seamer Alan Richardson complete the list.

The Five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the editor of Wisden since 1889 to reflect an impact on English cricket, and no-one can be chosen more than once.

Cook scored 927 Test runs as England won 10 Test matches out of 10 and replaced India as the world's best side - including a career best 294 at Edgbaston. Having inherited the one-day captaincy from Andrew Strauss, Cook led by example in series victories over Sri Lanka and India.

Bresnan hit a powerful 90 against India at Trent Bridge in that series, taking 16 wickets at 16 runs along the way.

The Yorkshire all-rounder said: "It's a very select membership and I'm over the moon to receive such a prestigious honour."

Sri Lanka batsman Sangakkara compiled 2,267 international runs last year with five centuries and 13 fifties, including a century in probably his last Test on English soil at Hampshire.

"I had always wanted a Test hundred at Lord's but, if that was not to be, then anywhere in England," Sangakkara told David Hopps in the Almanack.

"The Rose Bowl felt as if it might be my last opportunity."

Chapple, 38, was Lancashire's talisman as they won a first outright County Championship in 77 years, taking 55 wickets and bowling through injury on the final day as they clinched the title with victory at Somerset.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Personally I had a good season but that wouldn't, in itself, be enough normally to win this award.

"The credit has to go to the players for the way they performed last year.

"It was a fantastic year for Lancashire and all the lads who played so well have obviously played a big part in me receiving this award."

Richardson was the leading wicket taker in county cricket last summer, taking 73 for Worcestershire in Division One.

Richardson told BBC Hereford and Worcester: "To be recognised along world-class cricketers such as Alastair Cook, Tim Bresnan, Glen Chapple and Kumar Sangakkara is a real honour, to have my name up against some of the greats of the game."

Wisden Cricketers Of The Year in the last five years

2008 Ian Bell, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Otis Gibson, Ryan Sidebottom, Zaheer Khan.

2009 Jimmy Anderson, Dale Benkenstein, Mark Boucher, Neil McKenzie, Claire Taylor.

2010 Stuart Broad, Michael Clarke, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann.

2011 Tamim Iqbal, Eoin Morgan, Chris Read, Jonathan Trott (only four named).

2012 Tim Bresnan, Glen Chapple, Alastair Cook, Alan Richardson, Kumar Sangakkara.

England Make Confident Reply

Under-pressure skipper Andrew Strauss and fellow opener Alastair Cook hit gutsy half-centuries as England made a confident reply to Sri Lanka's 275 in the second Test in Colombo.

The left-handers compiled a 122-run partnership as England combated Sri Lanka's pace and spin attack to reach 1-154 by stumps on the second day at the P. Sara Oval.

Strauss, under fire for his batting and leadership, roared back to form with 61, before he attempted to cut off-spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene in the final session.

It was his best score on England's forgettable Asian sojourn so far this year, in which they were routed 3-0 by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates before losing at Galle in the first Test.

Cook remained unbeaten on 77, but was fortunate to be still there after Lahiru Thirimanne floored a sharp chance at forward short-leg off Rangana Herath when the batsman was on 20.

Jonathan Trott was the other batsman at the crease, on 15, as the tourists trailed by just 121 runs on the first innings with nine wickets in hand.

England's batting finally prospered in a match they must win to level the series and retain their world No.1 ranking. Even a draw will see Strauss' men slip to second spot behind South Africa.

Strauss showed no signs of strain after falling for 26 and 27 in the first Test, which Sri Lanka won by 75 runs to take the lead in the short two-match series.

But the England skipper's dismissal against the run of play left him without a century in 24 innings and just one three-figure knock in his last 49 innings.

Strauss hit four boundaries, his only false shot before his dismissal coming on 23 when he edged Herath, but the ball fell just short of Mahela Jayawardene at slip.

The openers resisted the temptation to play the dangerous sweep shot till the 39th over, when Strauss swept a wide ball from Suraj Randiv for a single, underlining the captain's growing confidence.

As the batsmen pushed on, Cook was even emboldened to execute a reverse sweep off Herath which raced to the fence to bring up his 14th century partnership with Strauss.

Cook has so far hit seven boundaries, while Trott, who scored a century at Galle, looked solid as he played out the day.

Sri Lanka added 37 runs to their overnight score of 6-238 before they were all out 30 minutes before lunch.

Randiv helped his overnight partner Angelo Mathews add 31 for the seventh wicket before he holed out to Kevin Pietersen at long-on attempting a big shot off off-spinner Graeme Swann.

Swann struck again in his next over when he beat Mathews in the air and had him caught at short mid-wicket. Mathews scored 57 in a four-hour vigil at the crease.

Tim Bresnan had Herath edging a catch to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, before Swann terminated the innings by bowling last man Suranga Lakmal.

England Retain Hope for Record Chase

England recovered from two crucial blows to stay afloat in their tough run chase on day three of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.

The tourists, set a history-defying target of 340, reached 2-111 by stumps on a dry pitch that has made batting progressively difficult.

The world's top-ranked Test side lost openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook cheaply before Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen repaired the damage by adding 63 for the unbroken third wicket.

Trott was unbeaten on 40 and Pietersen was on 29, with England still needing 229 runs with eight wickets in hand to win the Test and take the lead in the two-match series.

England, who will slip to No.2 behind South Africa if they lose the series, have never chased down such a big fourth-innings target before in their Test history.

Their highest successful chase is 7-332 against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground way back in 1928.

In Asia, it is 1-209 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in March, 2010.

England's task has been made tougher since 253 is the highest fourth-innings total made at the Galle International Stadium.

Earlier, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 214 in their second innings in the post-lunch session with England off-spinner Graeme Swann finishing with 6-82.

The hosts had been reduced to 8-127 just before lunch, a lead of 252 runs, when wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene stepped in to hit an unbeaten 61 in the company of tailenders.

England Cooking with 4-0 Series Win

England one-day captain Alastair Cook described his side's efforts against Pakistan as "brilliant" and revealed he will be staying on for the Twenty20 games against the same opponents.

Cook's men sealed a 4-0 series win with Tuesday's four-wicket win in Dubai.

He said: "It was a brilliant effort. We handled the pressure against four spinners on a spinning wicket.

"I'm staying on for the T20s. There are a couple of injuries to batsmen with a bit of concern over Ravi Bopara."

England's victory was all the more impressive because they made four changes with Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach and Tim Bresnan all playing for the first time in the series.

Cook added: "The guys who played were desperate to prove a point to get into the team and it was a really good team effort. We have to look ahead.

"It was great to see Jade back in the side and Tim back. Without our senior bowlers, I thought [restricting Pakistan to] 230-odd was a really good effort."

Having bowled out Pakistan for 237, England had to recover from 68-4 and did so thanks to a 109-run stand between Kevin Pietersen (130) and Craig Kieswetter (43).

England skipper Cook, who scored two centuries in the series, said: "It was great to see that 100 partnership. It was Kieswetter's first real opportunity to show what he could do under pressure and he played very well and, obviously, it was a fantastic knock by Kevin.

"We always talk about one of the top four scoring runs and he did it last game as well.

"It's a pleasure to watch KP bat like that, we talked about the top order scoring the runs and to have four hundreds in a series is a credit to the guys."

Pietersen said: "It's probably the best knock I've ever played in one-day cricket. The calmness of the chase, not getting flustered - I enjoyed it.

"One-day hundreds are hard to get. We picked our bowlers that we wanted to target - which we don't normally do in the England team.

"I've always said that, when I'm not playing well, I'll get criticised but that's the nature of the beast. I'll never stop working hard. I'll never stop trying. I just want to enjoy my cricket."

Boycott Says Alastair is Complete Cook

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott says Alastair Cook looks like a "complete player" following his second successive one-day international ton.

Cook is the first England captain to achieve the feat, adding 102 to his career-best 137 from Monday, as the tourists beat Pakistan by 20 runs.

Boycott said: "It was totally different to how he played in the Test matches.

"His feet are moving well, he's getting right forward and right back. He seems to have a wider range of shot."

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast, Boycott added: "He is driving through the covers and punching the ball off the back foot.

"He looks like the complete player so you start to think why didn't he play like that in when you needed 140 to win the Test in Abu Dhabi?"

Victory in Abu Dhabi gave England a 2-0 series lead and the tourists now head to Dubai for the third one-day international where they will look to tie up the four-match series.

The tourists endured a torrid time in preceding Test series, slumping to a 3-0 series defeat.

However, Cook finally got England back to winning ways in the first one-day international at the Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, as his sublime 137 underpinned a comprehensive 130-run victory.

And two days later, Cook was dropped on 28 but anchored the innings again in calm fashion with 10 fours in 102 from 121 balls.

All matches are day-night; ODIs start at 1100 GMT, T20s at 1600

He said: "To score two hundreds in a row doesn't happen very often in any form of cricket.

"Obviously I'm delighted and, with a little bit of luck along the way, thankfully I made it count.

"But you're not quite so bothered about your own batting as captain because you're thinking about the team.

"We've been saying all along you don't become bad players overnight. It's important when you do get a little bit of a run you cash in. I'm delighted I managed to do that.

"With [Shahid] Afridi in, they were in the game because seven-an-over is nothing, but we held our nerve and stayed calm.

"It was a big difference from what we have done. Everyone contributed to a really good team performance, a really good win."

Cook Adds Second Century

Alastair Cook helped himself to a second ODI century in as many games and he is eager to show he can perform in the shortest form of the game for England.

Cook's position in the Test side is secure, but even though he is captain of the ODI side he entered the series under a cloud. England great Sir Ian Botham suggested he should have been left out for the ODIs with Pakistan. The opener produced the ideal response to those who questioned his place in the side by hitting back-to-back tons to put England into a 2-0 lead in the series.

He has pinned his upturn in fortunes in the 50-over format on the decision to work hard in the county arena with Essex. Cook is aware he has work to do to cement a place in the 20-over game, but would like the chance to prove himself.

"When I was out of the England ODI side, I knew that if wanted to play one-day cricket for England I had to improve," he said. "I had to score quicker. That's what I went to work on with Graham Gooch and the Essex boys.

"The experience I gained playing those two years for Essex - especially a year-and-a-half playing T20 cricket for Essex - forced me to expand my game and helped me realise what I could do.

"I'd love to be in the T20 side, too, but it's a totally different format and I'm not in it at the moment."

Cook Confident Despite Setback

Alastair Cook believes England are in a strong position to push for victory in the second Test again Pakistan.

Cook and Jonathan Trott shared a stand of 139 before England lost three late wickets for just nine runs to finish the second day in Abu Dhabi on 207-5.

England are 50 runs behind with five wickets in hand and Cook thinks they can build a first-innings advantage.

"We had a good day but the shine was probably taken off it a little bit with those last couple of wickets," he said.

"We're only 50 behind and we've got a couple of excellent players with [Ian] Bell and Matty [Prior] in at the moment, and then obviously our lower order, which played well in Dubai.

"If we can get past that [first] half an hour and then look to build a lead... But if you look too far ahead then you can get stuck."

Pakistan lost their last three wickets for one run in 16 balls as they were bowled out for 257 in the morning.

Cook and Trott helped England to 166 for one in reply, but Saeed Ajmal followed up Abdur Rehman's dismissal of Trott for 74 by removing Cook (94), Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan, the latter with what proved to be the last ball of the day.

Cook added: "Credit to the way Pakistan bowled in that last half-hour, and made it extremely tough.

"These guys are used to playing in these conditions and sniff an opportunity like they did to get a couple of wickets.

"They did bowl very well and it's very difficult to go in there. Unfortunately, losing Eoin in the last over of the day was a shame."

Cook fell narrowly short of a 20th Test century, which would have put him joint fourth on England's all-time list with England batting coach Graham Gooch and Ken Barrington.

"It's always frustrating when you've worked so hard for a milestone, to fall just short of it," said the 27-year-old.

"It's disappointing when you don't get it, because you know it took five hours to get there. But it beats last week, when I got three and five."