Stephen Cook’s memorable South Africa debut should inspire ‘ignored talents’
Stephen Cook's memorable South Africa debut should inspire 'ignored talents'
It was a remarkable turnaround for South Africa on the opening day of the fourth Test at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The side that had been bulldozed in the previous game by Alastair Cook’s men at the Wanderers had suddenly turned the tables. While one can put forth the argument of England already bagging the series with Test to spare, it cannot take away the credit from Stephen Cook and Hashim Amla for the way they batted against the English pace attack. Amla may have regained his old flair that was missing at Johannesburg, but Cook produced something magical, one that stands out from the top batting performances of the series so far. SCORECARD: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 4th Test at Centurion, Day 1
For someone to have waited for more than a decade for an opportunity to play for the Proteas, and to score a hundred after finally making the much-awaited debut at the age of 33 is an achievement in itself. It might be hard for us to fathom the tornado of emotions that may have swept him temporarily after he reached the three-figure mark in his 187th delivery, in which he became the 100th batsman to score a 100 on Test debut. However, Michael Atherton’s now-famous quote perhaps sums his feelings up succinctly: “What’s an hour in the 90s when you’ve waited 33 years?” South Africa finish on 329/5 against England at stumps on Day 1 of 4th Test at Centurion
The right-handed opening batsman had been the most consistent of run-scorers in South African First-Class cricket for the last seven consecutive seasons, and failed to find a spot in the South African XI mainly due to the presence of established openers such as Graeme Smith, Neil McKenzie and later Alviro Peterson at the top of the order. As a result, Cook had to stay content with accumulating runs in heaps for the Lions in the Sunfoil Series, finishing as the top run-getter in the 2014-15 season.
The clamour for the inclusion of Cook into the national Test side was only growing louder, especially on the social media, over the last few years. The calls for his selection were further justified after the retirement of skipper Graeme Smith in 2014 following 12 years of international cricket, as his exit created a crisis of sorts as far as the opening slot was concerned. South Africa’s string of failures in the longest format both in their tour of India as well as on home soil may have played its part in forcing the selectors to field him for the final game of the four-Test series against England.
The pressure understandably would have been immense on the shoulders of the 33-year-old debutant. He had finally been awarded what was rightfully his — a slot in the South African team — after anxiously waiting for more than a decade. Unlike many of his peers who decided to leave the country towards the greener pastures in England and New Zealand, Cook decided to stay, kept his focus on his dream of playing for the Proteas and was finally rewarded for the same. There was no way Cook could have wasted this opportunity with a couple of bad shots, lest those turn out to be the final nails in his coffin.
The right-handed opening batsman displayed his intent right from the very first ball of his international career, in which he despatched James Anderson towards the square-leg boundary with a sense of ease to get off the mark in Test cricket. Over the course of the next 218 deliveries that he would face, he produced what might feature among the most memorable knocks in South African cricket history.
The ease with which he minced the England pace attack — the unit that demolished them for 83 at Jo’burg except for the injured Steven Finn (who was replaced by Chris Woakes) — spoke of his confidence as well as his sound technique. Amla may have hit more boundaries during the solid 202-run second-wicket stand that put the hosts in a position of command. It was Cook however, who set the flow at the start of the innings with a beautiful set of strokes, undeterred by the dismissal of Dean Elgar early in the innings.
On a side note, Cook did have a bit of luck assisting him, with Jonny Bairstow dropping him on 47. However, some of the greatest knocks in history have had such divine interventions (remember Abdul Razzaq dropping Sachin Tendulkar at the same ground in the famous 2003 World Cup game?). He did not allow the Englishmen bamboozle him again in the remainder of his innings, until receiving short-of-length delivery outside off from Woakes that dragged onto his leg-stump courtesy a thick inside-edge. His knock though, has provided the impetus for South Africa to go ahead and post a score in excess of 400, one that will provide England a good challenge in the days ahead.
In just one innings, Stephen has raced ahead of Alastair, the ‘other Cook’ in the ongoing series, and has already shown us a glimpse of what we can expect from him in the coming months. With the fact that he may have very well sealed the opener’s slot for himself at the expense of Stiaan van Zyl, one hopes that he helps the side take its first major step towards regaining the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings with a few more of such awe-inspiring knocks.
Also, for the sake of South African cricket, one sincerely hopes that the hundreds of ‘Stephen Cooks’ in the domestic setup draw inspiration from the latest knock in order to rekindle their aspirations of wearing the Proteas badge proudly, instead of packing their bags for abroad.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)