Alastair Cook’s brilliant reflex action saves an Essex reporter

England opener and former Test skipper Alastair Cook scored a scintillating half-century as Division One leaders, Essex put pressure on Middlesex on day one of the County Championship match. Dawid Malan (60) and Stevie Eskinazi (66) together put on 124 for the third wicket partnership and Paul Stirling (77) hit five sixes to give life to Middlesex after they were 2/2. But Simon Harmer scalped a 5/77 as Middlesex slipped from 219/5 to 246 all out inside 60 overs.

Essex finished Day 1 on 106/0, trailing by 140 runs, as Cook (64 not out) went past 500 Championship runs for himself this season. Cook will be playing for England in the first Test against South Africa next week for the first time after giving up his captaincy. Day 2 of the game didn’t get underway due to rains. Essex are yet to lose any game this season, are were in control for much of the first day of the opening game of the day-night Championship encounter held at the County Ground.

Middlesex lost Nick Gubbins for a duck to Mohammad Amir (2/53), the Pakistani pacer who made a debut for Essex and only a few days ago was instrumental in Pakistan winning the Champions Trophy 2017. Another good bowling performance was from Nick Compton (2/58). The Middlesex recovery was earlier led by Malan who scored 78 and when he left, the visitors were 126/2. But after Malan’s dismissal, three wickets fell for 32 runs and it was Stirling’s 50-ball 77 which took them past 200.

Meanwhile, the official page of the Essex County Club on Facebook uploaded a video in which Cook was talking about the game while players were practising in the background. All of a sudden the coaching staff member who was helping the players with the catching practice hits the ball in the wrong direction.

Cook couldn’t see the ball as he had his back facing that direction but heard the scream from behind and in no time put his hand out to grab the ball it was an amazing display of his reflexes something that has helped him over the years to become one of the safest pair of hands in the slips.

Watch the video here