Bopara joins elite gang

Bopara's feat added his name to a list containing four all-time greats - Herbert Sutcliffe, Denis Compton, Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch - as England racked up 302 for two on day one of the second npower Test, on the back of his 108 and Cook's unbeaten 126.

In a second-wicket stand of 213, the Essex pair effectively batted the tourists out of a contest they must somehow still try to win to level the two-match series and avoid conceding the Wisden Trophy in record time since belatedly regaining it little more than two months ago.

While Cook's six-hour tour de force was chanceless, the opener's effort had a stodgier look to it than Bopara's - which did contain one moment of fortune on 51 when wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin failed to hold a diving chance down the leg-side off Lionel Baker.

Cook reached his ninth Test hundred shortly before Bopara's third, the left-hander hitting 11 boundaries from 209 balls and the number three reaching his notable milestone with 12 fours and a six from 183.

The only significant regret for England could be that so few people took their opportunity to see the Bopara and Cook show live, at a ground which can accommodate almost 16,000 but was less than a third full - and is likely to be similarly unoccupied on Friday too.

Andrew Strauss began proceedings by winning the toss and choosing to bat first, despite a forecast for increasing cloud cover on what turned out to be a surprisingly sunny day.

He himself was to go slightly unluckily to Chris Gayle's off-spin - doubtless an especially aggravating turn of events for the England captain, after his recent public differences of opinion with his opposite number on the state of the modern game.

Strauss nonetheless had good reason to be by far the happier leader by stumps - his one of just two wickets to fall, after he had helped put 69 on the board in the initial exchanges.