Pakistan vs England: Alastair Cook falls short of triple-century as First Test edges towards a stalemate

Pakistan 523-8d, England 569-8

England captain Alastair Cook batted for 836 minutes, four short of 14 hours (Getty Images)

It must have felt like Groundhog Day for Pakistan’s bowlers as Alastair Cook made full use of a dog of a pitch to grind out the longest innings by an Englishman in Test history.

When the end finally came late on the fourth day of this first Test it was anti-climactic in its tameness, England’s captain gently sweeping the part-time off-spin of Shoiab Malik into the hands of Shan Masood at square leg.

Cook had batted for 836 minutes, four short of 14 hours, for his 263 in the heat of Abu Dhabi. In the process he eclipsed the great Len Hutton, whose record for the longest innings by an England player in terms of time had stood for 77 years. Hutton had spent 797 minutes at the crease during the 1938 Ashes Test at The Oval while compiling 364 –the highest Test score by an Englishman.

For much of his epic innings, Cook, who started the day on 168, had looked so comfortable he seemed likely to achieve the first triple century of his career. And he could feel aggrieved he did not have that opportunity after TV replays suggested the delivery that eventually did for him was a no-ball. The Australian umpire Paul Reiffel missed Shoiab overstepping and compounded his error by failing to check with the third umpire when the wicket fell.

Alastair Cook celebrates reaching 250 for England (Getty Images)

The Pakistan all-rounder had been reprieved himself on 40 on the first day of the match when he was “dismissed” off a Stuart Broad no-ball. He went on to score 245, the bedrock of Pakistan’s first-innings 523 for 8 declared.

England had overtaken that score by the time Cook departed six overs before yesterday’s close; they ended the day 46 runs ahead.

Joe Root, who had earlier shared a 141-run fourth-wicket stand with his captain before falling for 85, insisted at the close of play that England could still win the match even though only 16 wickets have fallen over the first four days.

Whether or not that fantasy scenario comes to pass, this contest will forever be remembered for Cook’s monumental contribution.

This was the third double hundred of his career, overtaking the unbeaten 235 he compiled in the opening match of the 2010-11 Ashes series in Brisbane and behind only his 294 against India at Edgbaston in 2011.

In terms of time, it surpassed both of those innings and, after overtaking Hutton, this object lesson in patience, determination and sheer bloody-mindedness was the third longest knock in Test history.

Only two men have spent more time at the crease in one Test innings: Gary Kirsten, who built a score of 275 in 878 minutes against England in Durban in 1999, and Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad, who batted for a mind-boggling 970 minutes for his 337 against West Indies in Barbados in 1958.

Cook’s effort was also the highest individual total by an England batsman in Asia, passing Mike Gatting’s 207 against India in Madras in 1985, and the best by an Englishman in an overseas Test since Wally Hammond’s unbeaten 336 against New Zealand in Auckland in 1933.

Barbados, of course, was where in May Cook ended a 35-innings barren spell without a Test century spanning almost two years.

That eased the pressure on his captaincy that had become almost unbearable when he lost the leadership of the one-day side last December.As a result, Cook missed the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand at the start of this year and he used his time well, seeking out the help of freelance batting coach Gary Palmer, once a promising all-rounder at Somerset.

Cook’s long hours at Palmer’s Oxfordshire base have now paid spectacular dividends, the opener being the leading Test run-scorer in the world this year with 1,170.

Of batsmen from outside the sub-continent, Cook is now also the most prolific in Asian conditions, his 2,065 runs surpassing the total of 2,058 scored by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis.

Pakistan spurned two opportunities to end Cook’s innings before it entered record-breaking territory when he was dropped, firstly on 147 on day three and again, off the bowling of Wahab Riaz, on 173 yesterday morning.

Wahab has been the most impressive bowler in this match and the left-armer produced a mesmeric spell of fast bowling on the fourth afternoon when he consistently reverse-swung the old ball at 90mph. Jonny Bairstow was his only reward in that period, England’s No 6 batsman trapped lbw on 8.

Root, edging Rahat Ali behind in the first hour of the afternoon session, was the first wicket to fall on a day that had begun with England 233 runs in arrears on 290 for 3.

By the time Bairstow was out, that total had progressed to 443 for 5.

Bairstow’s dismissal brought Ben Stokes to the crease and, after being dropped on 13, the Durham all-rounder went on to score 57 in 87 balls before being bowled advancing down the track to Shoaib.

That was the first wicket to fall in 1,021 balls of spin in this match – a damning indictment of a pitch that will surely see this venue reprimanded by the International Cricket Council in the coming weeks.

After Shoaib finally brought an end to Cook’s history-making knock, Zulfiqur Baba found reward at last after 69 overs of toil, the left-arm spinner having Jos Buttler caught at deep cover on 23.