One hour and 10 minutes into the second session, and after toiling for more than 158 overs under the relentless Abu Dhabi sun, Alastair Cook cut a Zulfiqar Babar delivery through point.
It wasn’t really the most remarkable shot of his 528-ball innings, but it said a lot about Cook’s character, his fitness and his 100 per cent commitment to England’s cause.
Cook took three runs for that shot, when, given the state of the Test match, nobody would have complained if he had taken just one and conserved his energy.
And then, 30 overs later and just before he got out after playing the third longest innings in the history of Test cricket, Cook did the same again while batting with Jos Buttler.
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Thanks to the masterclass delivered by their captain, an epic knock of 263 that lasted 836 minutes, England are on the verge of drawing their first Test in the UAE, and are even talking about the possibility of an unlikely win.
The visitors reached 569 for the loss of eight wickets when play was suspended for bad light on the fourth day on Friday at Zayed Stadium. The lead of 46 runs may be miniscule, but the way they have fought against Pakistan’s massive first innings total of 523 for eight declared, augurs well for the rest of the three-Test series and will massively boost the confidence of Cook’s men.
Only two players who have been on the crease longer than Cook – Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammed (337 in 970m v West Indies in Bridgetown in 1958) and South Africa’s Gary Kirsten (275 in 878m v England in Durban in 1999).
Pakistan were lucky to finally dismiss Cook half an hour before close of play. He top-edged a sweep off Shoaib Malik to Shan Masood at backward square leg. But TV replays showed Malik’s feet slightly outside the crease before his ankle turned in. Umpire Paul Reifell would have had to sit with a microscope to detect the transgression, but that brought an end to an innings that would force fans to remember what has been an extremely forgettable match so far.
Cook did enjoy two chances – one on 147 on day three and then on 173 in the fourth over yesterday when a Wahab Riaz delivery cut back and took his inside edge, but wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed dropped a difficult chance diving low to his right.
But if you leave aside those two deliveries, Cook’s fortitude and defence looked impregnable. What stood out was the fact that he hit only 18 boundaries, which meant he ran 191 runs in sizzling conditions. The pitch was a batting paradise, but it also needed application, and Cook was peerless in that.
This Cook innings has now lasted longer (782 mins) than the entire 4th Ashes Test at Trent Bridge last summer. #trainspottingcricket
— Nick Hoult (@NHoultCricket) October 16, 2015
It was Cook’s third double century in Test cricket, and his second highest after the 294 he made against India in Birmingham in 2011.
England started the day at 290 for three and did not lose a single wicket in the extended pre-lunch session. Cook and Joe Root added 110 runs in the 33 overs, with Cook reaching his double century in 395 balls when he whipped Riaz to the square leg for a couple.
Cook and Root put on 141 runs for the fourth wicket, the third century partnership of the inning, before England lost two wickets in the session after lunch – Root falling 15 runs short of a well-deserved century and Jonny Bairstow for eight.
Ben Stoke came in and was troubled no end in a sensation spell just before the second new ball by Riaz, who reversed the ball appreciably and could have dismissed Stoke several times. The Pakistan fast bowler was the most successful bowler, finishing with three wickets for 116 runs.
A spinner finally got a wicket – after 335 overs and one ball in the match – when Malik dismissed Stoke, who was bowled while trying to give the bowler a charge. Buttler became a victim of Zulfiqar Babar’s in his 69th over of the inning.
Wickets fell in a flurry towards the end, with Buttler (23) also falling along with Cook.
