Alastair Cook became just the fifth player and first Englishman to score a hundred in both their first and last Tests when he made 147 against India at the Oval yesterday.
The 33-year-old opener, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, reached his hundred in unusual fashion when an overthrow from Jasprit Bumrah that went to the boundary gave him a five after he had already completed a single on the fourth day of the fifth Test.
Together with Joe Root, his successor as England captain, Cook shared a third wicket stand of 259.
But a ball after Root was dismissed for 125, Cook was caught behind off part-time spinner Hanuma Vihari to leave England strongly placed at 321 for four in their second innings – a lead of 361.
Cook batted for nearly six-and-a-half hours, facing 286 balls and hitting 14 fours.
The Essex left-haned opener, who is retiring from international cricket after his match, was the first batsman since India’s Mohammad Azharuddin in 2000 to score hundreds in both their first and last Test matches.