Alastair Cook fails on return to first-class cricket against Yorkshire
Monday 23 March 2015 12:41, UK
England Test captain Alastair Cook was dismissed for just three on day one of the county season curtain-raiser between the MCC and Yorkshire in Abu Dhabi.
Cook lasted just six balls, with former England team-mate Ryan Sidebottom trapping him lbw, in an impressive bowling performance from the reigning County Champions, skittling the MCC out for 221 in their first innings.
Cook’s potential opening partner for their Test tour to the West Indies which begins in April, Adam Lyth, finished the day unbeaten on 53 for Yorkshire as they closed on 82-2.
James Hildreth had earlier impressed for the MCC, the Somerset man hitting 89 off 118 balls with 15 fours.
Nick Compton fell for a first-ball duck to Sidebottom (2-27) after he’d won the toss for the MCC and chose to bat first.
Cook – who impressed for an MCC side on Friday in the Emirates T20 tournament with a 26-ball 35 – lasted only six balls in his first-class return since losing his job as England’s one-day captain.
He too fell to Sidebottom, lbw, but Hildreth rebuilt the innings with Michael Carberry (36) – the pair involved in a 74-run partnership for the third wicket – before the Hampshire left-hander fell to Steven Patterson shortly before lunch.
Resuming at 107-3, Hildreth found further support from Daryl Mitchell (54) – who also passed fifty – but when Hildreth was trapped lbw by Tim Bresnan the MCC’s innings collapsed.
With the score on 185, Mitchell also departed lbw to Will Rhodes (2-10) – the first of six wickets which fell for 36 runs.
Jack Brooks (2-57) bowled Sam Billings and had Chris Rushworth caught behind – both dismissed without troubling the scorers.
Graeme Onions was the next to go, Rhodes’ second lbw victim, before the carnage was briefly disrupted by the tea interval with the MCC 214-8.
They added just seven runs to that total after the break as Adil Rashid (2-51) celebrated his return to the England fold – with his call-up for the West Indies tour – by cleaning up the tail.
In reply , Yorkshire lost Alex Lees (11) to Matt Dunn and Jack Leaning (14) to Zafar Ansari shortly before the close – but the MCC’s attack was depleted by the fact Graeme Onions had to leave the field five balls into his fourth over which will worry Durham fans.
Lyth was untroubled at the other end, reaching his fifty off 72 balls with consecutive fours, and he will be hoping to add further to his score when play resumes on Monday, with the first Test of England’s tour of the West Indies scheduled for Monday 13 April.
Yorkshire begin the defence of their County Championship title at Worcestershire a day earlier on Sunday 12 April.
