NOTTINGHAM: England’s debutant, Sam Cook, took his first wicket in Test cricket after Harry Brook’s rapid fifty took the hosts to a commanding 565-6 declared against Zimbabwe in their one-off match at Trent Bridge on Friday.
Essex paceman Cook, rewarded for a career that had yielded 321 first-class runs at an average of 19.5 before this match, was the first England debutant to send down the opening over of a Test innings since James Kirtley at Trent Bridge in 2003.
The 27-year-old conceded three successive fours in his first over while Brian Bennett constructed the damage with a fine cover drive as well as a couple of edges. Cook, however, had success in just his third over when Ben Curran, on six, edged a full-length ball to Brook at second slip, with Zimbabwe then 31-1.
Curran is the son of the late Zimbabwe star Kevin Curran and the brother of England’s international cricketer Sam and Tom. However, with Zimbabwe needing a total of 416 just to avoid the follow-on in this four-day match, Bennett (36 not out) and captain Craig Ervine (30 not out) took the visitors to 73-1 at lunch on the second day.
Earlier, Brook struck a typically rapid innings of 58 runs off just 50 balls before his exit saw England captain Ben Stokes declaring 46 minutes into the day’s play. England resumed in a commanding position of 498-3 with Ollie Pope unbeaten on 169 after openers Zak Crawley (124) and Ben Duckett (140) scored hundreds.
It was the most runs scored in a day by any team in a Test in England since England made 503 against South Africa at Lord’s in 1924. It wasn’t until the same three batters had reached three figures against Pakistan at Rawalpindi in December 2022 that England’s top three made hundreds on the first day of a Test.
Zimbabwe’s cause, in their first Test in England in 22 years, was not helped by the fact that paceman Richard Ngarava only sent down nine overs on Thursday before suffering a back spasm and did not bowl again the following Friday.
Play resumed beneath in ideal, with sunny batting conditions on a good batting pitch, but Zimbabwe still managed an early breakthrough. Pope had added just two runs to his overnight score when he drove at a pitched-up delivery from Tanaka Chivanga and edged behind.
His exit brought in Stokes, making his comeback after a lengthy rehabilitation from his latest hamstring injury. Stokes was soon into his stride with a cover-driven four off Blessing Muzarabani.
However, it was Brook who punished Zimbabwe’s outclassed attack most severely, hitting consecutive fours off Chivanga, a cut followed by a carving drive over mid-off. It was Muzarabani’s turn to suffer the next over as Brook smashed him for successive sixes, a thumping pull preceding a remarkable pick-up shot that sailed high over fine leg.
The towering Muzarabani, however, bounced out Stokes (nine), with the all-rounder top-edging a hook to fine leg where Curran took a well-judged catch. Brook went to fifty with another six off Muzarabani before playing on to the persevering pacer, who finished with 3-143 in 24.3 overs.
Joe Root breaks Jacques Kallis’s record during Zimbabwe Test
Ag Agencies
England’s experienced batter Joe Root on Thursday, achieved another milestone in his glittering red-ball career as he became the fastest to 13000 runs in Test cricket.
The right-handed veteran achieved the landmark during the opening day of their solitary Test against Zimbabwe when he clipped Victor Nyauchi for a single on the first delivery of the 80th over to score his 28th run.
Root eventually fell victim to Blessing Muzarabani in the 83rd after scoring 34 runs off 44 balls. However, his 34-run knock was enough to take him past South African legend Kallis to become the fastest to breach the 13000-run barrier in the longest format.
Root achieved the milestone in his 153rd innings, six fewer than Kallis’s tally of 159. Overall, Joe Root is only the fifth batter in history to amass 13000 runs in Tests, joining the likes of India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, Australia’s Ricky Ponting and South Africa’s Kallis.
Batting great Tendulkar holds the record for scoring the most runs in the longest formats (15921), while Root is the only active player in the elusive list and is considered one of the favourites to surpass the Indian legend.
