5th Test: England vs India - The Kia Oval

[sussexpob]

100 up

[captaincolly]

A wonderful way to bow out - if that's what this is!

[budgetmeansbudget]

He enjoys his farm too much to come back, plus 100 in your final innings, can't beat that.

[bigfluffylemon]

He's bloody gone and done it! 50 and 100 in his first and his last test and England's lead is swelling. 270 and counting.

So long Cooky. Well played sir, for one last time. Well played.

[bigfluffylemon]

Come on Root, don't lose concentration. Time to get rid of that 12 month hoodoo. Only 10 minutes until lunch, don't get cocky. If you and Cook are still in after lunch, the situation will be perfect for the Bairstows, Buttler and Stokes of the world to take the match out of India's reach.

So we'll probably collapse to 300 all out in one session and give them a sniff.

[bigfluffylemon]

Only four other players have a century on debut and finale:
http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statisti ... dreds5.asp
Ponsford, Azharuddin, Reginald Duff and Greg Chappell.

Cook the first to have a 50 and 100 in both matches.

Root into the nervous 90s

[bigfluffylemon]

More stats courtesy of the BBC. Cook's hundred is his 15th in the second innings of test matches, which is an all time record.

He's also gone past Sanga to become the most prolific left handed batsman in tests.

Legend.

[alfie]

India look like they are ready to go home now.

Been a great last test for Cook. Will be missed, even though he has not been performing.

Classic cook innings. Just ground it out. Is it the dead rubber lessening the pressure, a bit of luck, or the freedom playing with a clearer head?

I made my opinions known, people will disagree, but this test is just proof that his decline is much more about his mentality and dedication to his work than some will credit. With a clear mind, and determination to make a final score, he looks a bit more like cook of old. It's been tough, at points he's been outclassed, but he's there and fighting for every run.

Some honesty needs to be asked for in the next few weeks. Why at 33 did he lose it all? Why was that terminal? What can th team learn about its culture for the future. If cook can fade, retire when he could still be class, is this the reason why we can't get batters functioning?

The story of cook feels incomplete. He never had the fourth stage to his career....the fightback.

Think you hit the nail on the head there , Sussex. For whatever reason , Cook began to doubt his (ability ? desire ? Right to a place ?) and has been operating this season with a clouded mind...unsure whether he should fight it out as he always has , or give way to the march of time...

And you can't bat - certainly at this level - with two conflicting ideas in your head. Once the decision to retire was made and announced ...freedom came back . He could just...bat. And we see the result.

A pity he couldn't have got lucky early this season - a score might have settled him down and set him up for another year or two. Which England could surely do with.

At least he ends on a high. But I'd like to have seen the "fourth stage" too...

[Arthur Crabtree]

Great day for the people congregated at the Oval, to witness history. Joe Root's return to form and beating at last the curse of the half century.

A momentous curtain call for Cook. I think he's going at the right time, but can't fault his sense of occasion.

[budgetmeansbudget]

Over tonight?!

[yuppie]

Over tonight?!

Just what i was thinking. Flights already booked?

[Gingerfinch]

Nice to see Cook score a ton in his last match. Is he the first player to score a ton on debut, and is his last match?

[Durhamfootman]

great result for Steely. as good an ending as it's possible to get.

Only a thousand runs short of being the second highest run scoring batsman of all time. I always thought he would get those runs

[The Professor]

Fair play to India formthe respects paid today. Especially Bumrah!

[Arthur Crabtree]

Nice to see Cook score a ton in his last match. Is he the first player to score a ton on debut, and is his last match?

Nerp. First to score 100+50 in first and last match though.