23-05-2025
Four takeaways from Sam Cook's first day of bowling for England
Just by bowling his opening delivery at Trent Bridge, Sam Cook made a little history. He was the first England player to bowl the opening over of the first innings in their debut Test since 1993.
That player, Martin McCague – born in Ulster but raised in Australia – was called 'the rat who joined the sinking ship' by the press Down Under. He only played three Tests, taking six wickets.
On his opening day in Test cricket, Cook hinted that he will enjoy a far longer Test career.
'Magic' deliveries
Cook has been picked on the back of his extraordinary first-class statistics: 321 wickets at 19.8. This stellar record has largely been underpinned by his metronomic accuracy: mastery of line and length, allied to the wobble seam.
But in his opening spell as a Test cricketer, Cook's method was a little different. Rather than pound out a length, Cook's approach – understandable, in his eagerness to make a swift impact – was more attacking, bowling very full and attacking the stumps.
His very first over embodied the promise and peril of this approach. His third ball almost brought his maiden Test wicket: instead, an inside edge from Brian Bennett went for four. Bennett's boundaries from the next two balls were far better-deserved: a squirt through midwicket, and then a supreme cover drive.
And so Cook's first over went for 12: more than he would have liked, but still five fewer than James Anderson's first over on Test debut against Zimbabwe in 2003.
Accuracy will be key
While Cook was less accurate than the norm in county cricket, he gradually got into a better groove as his spell advanced.
His 15 th ball was a distillation of the qualities that have won him Test selection: angled in from around the wicket to the left-hander Ben Curran, inducing a defensive prod, nipping away off the seam and claiming the edge. Now, Cook let out a howl of delight, celebrating the realisation of his dreams.
Sam Cook takes his FIRST Test wicket 😍
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) May 23, 2025
Just quick enough
How fast is fast enough? This has been the perennial question since Cook's selection. But the evidence of his opening spell in Test cricket suggested that he has the speed to back up his range of skills.
The average in his first six overs was 80.5mph; one delivery reached 84 mph. This speed should be ample for the role that Cook is competing for: as England's most skilled – for which read, slowest – seamer.
Even so, there was an indication of the opportunities that less pace creates for opponents. At one point Bennett came down the track and flicked Cook for three.
Variations
Cook is renowned for using the wobble seam, fitting within the trend of bowlers using swing less than in previous generations.
But while the wobble seam was his default in his opening spell, he showed his range by resorting to swing, too. In his sixth over, one inswinger almost dismantled Bennett's leg stump; instead, the batsman earned an undeserved four.
As he walked to the umpire to pick up his cap after the end of his first spell as a Test cricketer – six overs, one for 32 – Cook could have been entitled to bemoan some ill-fortune. But his Test career is underway.
