It is still on, too, with Cook unbeaten on 46 at the end of the third day of the final instalment of this gripping Test series and the dream scenario of a century in a winning cause in his 161st and final Test edging ever closer. There was a glimpse of the highest class when Cook played a sublime straight drive off Shami that raced to the boundary but above all there was calm authority, just as there has been from Cook for 12 highly successful years. But how can they possibly pick a man who has scored just 163 runs at 18 in this series without a single half-century? It is a big decision now for a national selector in Smith who is not afraid of making them. What a hat-trick Cook could enjoy if he reaches three figures and then helps England win before welcoming his third child.

Source: Daily Mail September 09, 2018 17:37 UTC