• Day two of three: South Africa A 136 & 35-2; England XI 414-6dec
• Joe Root scores 117 as England net in the mood for first TestAlastair Cook is 31 on Christmas Day and,while his double dose of festivities will be tempered by the tedium of a training session and a press conference before the first Test with South Africa in Durban, the England captain will at least be free of any anxiety over his own form and that of his fellow batsmen.
The final Test in a rewarding 2015 for Cook will initiate on Boxing Day at Kingsmead and it is one in which he can pass Michael Vaughan’s English record of 1481 runs in a calendar year if he scores 125; on the evidence of his showing against South Africa A in England’s second warm-up match of the tour, or you would not bet against it.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com