Published: Jan 22, 2016, 07:49 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 22, 2016, 08:17 PM (IST)
Stephen Cook created history when he became the sixth South African batsman to score a century on debut, reaching the milestone in 187 deliveries on Day One of the fourth and final Test against England at Centurion. Cook struck 12 boundaries during his innings as he reached the milestone, with his parents as well as the rest of the family and local supporters breaking into celebrations. Cook, whose father Jimmy had played three Tests and four One-Day Internationals (ODI) for South Africa between 1991 and 1993, has been among the highest run-getters in South African First-Class cricket for seven consecutive seasons. With this knock, he has successfully managed to justify the hype surrounding his selection. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 4th Test at Centurion, Day 1
Cook got off the mark with a boundary towards square-leg off James Anderson at the start of the innings. He had been in superb flow thereafter, racing to the 40’s in no time even as James Taylor held on to a superb catch at short-leg to dismiss Dean Elgar for 20 off the bowling of Moeen Ali. Cook, who plays for Lions in South African domestic cricket, was dropped on 47 when Jonny Bairstow failed to collect a catch off an outside edge off Stuart Broad’s bowling. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: South Africa vs England 2015-16, 4th Test at Centurion, Day 1
He did not give away anything thereafter as he went on to form a solid second-wicket partnership with Hashim Amla, which was worth 202 before the latter was bowled for 109 off the bowling of Ben Stokes in the 64th over. Amla too was majestic with the bat, bringing up his 25th Test century while surviving a couple of dismissal scares himself. Following is the list of all the South African batsmen to have scored a century on Test debut:
| Player | R | BF | Oppositon | Venue | Year |
| Jacques Rudolph | 222* | 383 | Bangladesh | Chittagong | 2003 |
| Andrew Hudson | 163 | 384 | West Indies | Bridgetown | 1992 |
| Faf du Plessis | 110* | 376 | Australia | Adelaide | 2012 |
| Stiaan van Zyl | 101* | 130 | West Indies | Centurion | 2014 |
| Alviro Petersen | 100 | 164 | India | Kolkata | 2010 |
| Stephen Cook | 100* | 187 | England | Centurion | 2016 |
South Africa earlier won the toss and made five changes to their team — Stephen Cook, JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock, Dane Piedt and Kyle Abbott coming in place of Stiaan van Zyl, Faf du Plessis, Dane Vilas, Chris Morris and Hardus Viljoen. England, on the other hand, brought Chris Woakes in place of the injured Steven Finn in their only change to their winning combination from the third Test at the Wanderers.
