Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook did their best to make up for lost time as they piled on the runs against the West Indies in the second Test at the Riverside yesterday.
England were 411 for four at lunch.
Pietersen was 46 not out off just 50 balls after Cook had fallen shortly before the break for a Test-best 160.
Cook batted for more than eight hours, facing 340 balls with 17 boundaries. His innings ended tamely when he got a leading edge to left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and was caught at extra-cover by West Indies captain Chris Gayle.
Together with Pietersen, he had added 84 runs for the fourth wicket in a rapid 107 balls.
Cook, who earlier in this match shared a second-wicket stand of 213 with Ravi Bopara (108), was uncertain early in his innings.
But he kept his composure as England, 1-0 up in this two-match series after last week’s 10-wicket win at Lord’s, looked to regain the Wisden Trophy they had lost earlier this year in the Caribbean.
The West Indies cause was not helped by a large extras total of 57, the result of inaccurate pace bowling and indifferent wicketkeeping by Denesh Ramdin.
Fidel Edwards, who bowled nightwatchman James Anderson, was especially wayward, his 11 overs before lunch costing 55 runs for one wicket. England resumed on 302 for two, with Cook 126 not out and Anderson unbeaten on 4.
Anderson reprieved twice off Edwards, on 9 and 10, was dropped down the leg-side by Ramdin and caught off a no-ball by third slip Lendl Simmons. Edwards finally bowled Anderson for 14 to end a stand of 44 with Cook.
His exit brought in Pietersen, dismissed by Edwards for a first ball duck at Lord’s.
Edwards greeted the star batsman with a bouncer, but Pietersen was soon into his stride, whipping Jerome Taylor behind square and clipping him through mid-wicket in trademark fashion for two fours in as many balls.
Cook cover-drove Taylor to the fence to go past his previous Test-best score of 139 not out, made against the West Indies in Barbados in March.
But it was Pietersen who drove Edwards down the ground with a flourish to bring up 400.
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