Cook ends century dry run as England draw test

Alastair Cook broke his drought of Test hundreds to collect his eighth Test hundred and earn England a draw in the fourth Test against West Indies on Monday.

Left-hander Cook was undefeated on 139 and Kevin Pietersen was unbeaten on 72, and carried England to 279 for two at the finish an hour and 10 minutes before the scheduled close on the last day at Kensington Oval. The result meant that England continues to trail in the five-Test series 0-1, following an innings and 23-run defeat in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

The second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua was abandoned, and the third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground also ended in a draw.

The fifth and final Test of the series starts next Friday at Queen's Park Oval in the Trinidad capital of Port of Spain.

Cook reached his milestone from 193 balls, when he drove part-time left-arm spin bowler Ryan Hinds through mid-on for three to reach his first hundred for England in 16 Tests spanning 14 months.

He and Pietersen then indulged themselves in some glorified batting practice in an unbroken stand of 150, after Owais Shah was adjudged lbw to Sulieman Benn for 21 about 20 minutes at lunch.

In the final over before tea, Pietersen reached his landmark from 74 balls, when he swept Hinds to deep fine leg for a single.

But the match was long over as a genuine contest and the two sides decided early to put everyone out of their misery.

Before lunch, Cook had passed 50 for the fourth straight time in the series on a largely uneventful morning, as England reached 115 for one. Cook reached his landmark from 86 balls, when he square drove left-arm spin bowler Sulieman Benn through backward point for his eighth boundary, but he was fortunate to have survived until the interval. On 38, Cook offered a difficult chance off Benn to Brendan Nash running back at mid-wicket.

But England captain Andrew Strauss was not that blessed, and he was bowled for 38 when he dragged a drifter into his stumps off West Indies captain Chris Gayle, bowling his uncomplicated off-spin.

After lunch, England lost Shah, when he was struck on the boot by a delivery playing defensively forward.

For the rest of the period, Cook and Pietersen filled their troughs, but there was an anxious moment for Cook when he was 58, and West Indies asked that a bat-pad catch to short leg fielder Hinds be referred to the video umpire.

The result of third umpire Daryl Harper's inspection of the video were as inconclusive as the result.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Tuesday (AFP)