England opener Alastair Cook is relieved to have put his century drought behind him.
England opener hoping for lively pitch in Trinidad
Alastair Cook is glad to have ended his century drought as England head into the must-win final Test against West Indies in Trinidad.
The opening batsman made an unbeaten 139 on the final day of the drawn fourth Test, his first three-figure score at the highest level since December 2007.
The Barbados stalemate ended England's hopes of a series win and they must now triumph at the Queen's Park Oval to ensure a 1-1 draw.
"To finally get one was certainly a relief after 14 months of not scoring a hundred, and 12 months of not scoring one in any form of cricket," admitted Cook.
"No matter how many times you talk about it, until you actually do it the doubts are still there."
Jitters had got the better of the 24-year-old when he reached the 90s on day one in Barbados, but he was able to reach an eighth hundred at Test level on day five as the match meandered to its inevitable conclusion.
Anxious
"I definitely got more anxious about it in the first innings," he added. "I was that desperate to do it.
"The second innings was under slightly different circumstances, and I definitely changed the way I played leading up to the 90s and in the 90s."
England are hoping for an improvement - or more accurately a reduction in quality - in the pitch in Trinidad, having been presented with two ultra-friendly batting surfaces since losing in Jamaica.
"I think pitches should offer a little bit of everything, whether they're flat for a couple of days and then deteriorate or start off with a bit in and become easier," Cook continued.
"We want to watch exciting cricket, and that's when all results are possible rather than just one."
England's practice session on Wednesday was switched away from the Queen's Park Oval to a local school ground because of unsatisfactory net facilities, which has been a recurring theme of the tour.
