Holy shit, it’s Friday.
Cook is now at 233 at Edgbaston. At this point, considering it is only the third day, I think Flowers should just let him bat on and on and on. Let him “remorselessly accumulate” his first test 300. Then declare. Then bowl a lackluster India out and become the number one test nation in the world.
(The match was just, and I mean just, delayed due to bad light. This throws the above into the hamper, so to speak.)
It would be the first triple century for an England batsman since Graham Gooch in 1990, which funnily enough was against India, as well. England won by 247. He also knocked a 100 in the 2nd innings.
Stat alert: there have been 24 test triple centuries, all but one has happened in the first innings. The only second innings 300 was 1958, at the Oval in Kensington, by Hanif Mohammed for Pakistan against the West Indies. It was after the West Indies forced the follow-on from Pakistan, and the match was eventually drawn.
He batted for 970 minutes. Over 16 hours at the crease. And only 96 of his runs came from boundaries. 24 fours, no sixes.
Back at Edgbaston, still bad light, but Cricinfo commenter, James, has a theory: “Maybe England have bored the umpires to death, and they want a cup of tea?”
More 300 notes:
- 9 of the 24 test triple centuries have happened just since 2000. 13 of the 24 since 1990.
- There were five in the 1930s, none in the 1940s, two in the 1950s, three in the 1960s, one in the 1970s, none in the 1980s, four in the 1990s, and nine in the 2000s.
- 7 of the 24 have happened in the West Indies. 3 of those at the Antigua Recreation Ground in St. John’s:
And we are back in Birmingham. Cook is at 237. There are 50 more overs scheduled to be bowled today. As long as the light holds out, I don’t see anything stopping him…
Meanwhile, at the Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe is going to beat Bangladesh by 5 wickets in the first ODI. Well done, boys.
Until Monday.
Limited Overs 