New red ball thrust into his hand by Ben Stokes, Sam Cook took a moment to steady himself. Breeze blustering at his back from the Radcliffe Road End as he settled at the top of his mark, the seamer inhaled and exhaled, releasing the nerves, readying the seam sinews. A bowler’s approach can be a lonely trek at times, forced to plough a lone furrow and till and toil, but this could hardly have been a kinder start to a Test career, four slips and two gullies waiting, a mighty total already on the board.
Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, and onwards into the gather. Up, down, limbs whirling into work. Down came the delivery to settle the nerves; Cook on the money, as he was always likely to be.
