Alastair Cook begins his non captaincy period in style

Former England captain Alastair Cook, who recently stepped down from England captaincy, came back to score a 50 in his first game after resignation. Cook took to the field for Essex and registered a well-made half century against Somerset at Taunton.

Alastair Cook saw his team through till Stumps on Day 1, ending the day’s play with 39 against his name. On the second morning, Cook got to his 50 off 85 deliveries. However, he was able to add just 13 runs to his overnight score before he was dismissed. Cook played on to a Lewis Gregory delivery.

Alastair Cook’s dismissal set off a sudden collapse of the Essex batting line-up on Day 2 of the Specsavers County Championship Division One clash. From being 81-3 as Cook walked back to the dressing room, Essex were bundled out for 129.

Nevertheless, New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner brought Essex back into the game with a brilliant six-wicket haul. Somerset once again struggled with the bat, as Wagner picked up wickets at regular intervals. Somerset managed to post 174 on the board, leaving Essex a target of 255.

Alastair Cook was once again back to open the innings with Nick Browne. The duo saw Essex through the day’s play without losing the 19th wicket on Day 2. Essex were at 10 for no loss at Stumps. The side now has 2 whole days at their disposal to achieve the target. Cook, of course, will look to play a big inning and guide his team to an emphatic victory.

Cook had earlier resigned as the England Test captain after a record 59 matches at the helm. Alastair Cook remains one of England’s most prolific batsmen. Apart from being England’s leading scorer in Tests, with 11,057 runs under his belt, Cook also led his side to an Ashes triumph in 2013 and 2015. Under Cook’s captaincy, England also bagged series wins against heavyweights India and South Africa on foreign soil.