Alastair Cook 'determined' to avoid low score in final Test match
'There is nothing worse than going out and not contributing. All the fuss about the week, and you don’t deliver the good. Because of the emotion, I just didn’t want to not get a score'
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Your support makes all the difference.Alastair Cook said he was desperate not to get a low score in his final Test match, as he marked an emotional day with his 57th Test fifty. After being greeted with a guard of honour by the Indian team as he entered the field, Cook's battling 71 gave England a fine platform on day one of the fifth Test, one they would ultimately squander in the final session.
“I was so determined,” Cook said at stumps. “There is nothing worse than going out and not contributing. All the fuss about the week, and you don’t deliver the good. Because of the emotion, I just didn’t want to not get a score.
“Everyone says, ‘just enjoy it, it doesn't matter how many runs you get’. But actually, that’s never the case. There’s never a game of cricket like that. I’m pleased that I got a bit of a score, but disappointed to get out when I did.”
It was a surreal morning for Cook, who along with his opening partner Keaton Jennings decided on a whim to take the Tube from the team hotel in Tower Bridge to the ground. He was then feted with a rousing reception by the Oval crowd, but admitted afterwards he had not been able to take it in properly.
“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “The guard of honour is such a nice gesture, but you're just focused on batting. It doesn't matter if it's your first game, or whatever game it is. And it’s very kind of Virat and the Indians, but you’re just focused on the first ball.”
Cook’s dismissal prompted a familiar batting collapse by England, who ended the day on 198-7 after losing six wickets in the final session. “It was disappointing,” Cook admitted. “But you could see even at the end, the ball was still doing a lot. We’ve still got three wickets left, so hopefully we can get a partnership and get up to about 270.”
Moeen Ali, who partnered Cook in the afternoon session, said he felt Cook was destined to get a century. “When he got dropped, I just said it's meant to be for you,” he said. “He was finding it difficult, probably not as easy as we thought. It wasn’t to be.”
After making a battling fifty of his own, Moeen said he felt confident he was capable of nailing down the No 3 position in the long-term. “I don’t see why I can’t bat there,” he said. “I bat No 3 for Worcester, and managed to score some runs there earlier this year. Why not?
“It was one of the best bowling attacks I’ve faced. They were just always, consistently there. So I just tried to bat. When I went into tea, the guys were calling me Geoffrey Boycott. Then they came in and played and missed their first ball. So I was pretty happy with that.”
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