Cook, Root centuries give England early advantage

Alastair Cook and Joe Root scored contrasting centuries as England took complete control of the first of three Tests against Windies on the opening day of the inaugural day-night match on English soil at Edgbaston on Thursday.

England was 348 for 3 at the close, with Cook unbeaten on 153 after more than six hours of batting, while Root, who scored 136, fell a short while before the end of the day’s play after a 248-run stand for the third wicket. Dawid Malan, given a reprieve on two, was 28 not out at the close.

Cook and Root had come together at 39 for 2 after both Mark Stoneman, the debutant, and Tom Westley had been sent back early.

Stoneman's first two scoring shots in Test cricket were fours off Kemar Roach. But that was as good as it got for him as Roach clean bowled him with a superb delivery that pitched on middle stump and clipped the top of off. Westley was then lbw on review to Miguel Cummins.

Root's 11th half-century in successive Tests was a new England record and just one shy of AB de Villiers's mark of 12. For Cook, already England's leading Test run-scorer and century-maker, this was his 31st three-figure score at this level.

After the initial setbacks, Cook and Root steadied the innings and just before the lunch interval, Cook completed a 74-ball fifty. After the break, Root went to an 83 ball-fifty when a flashing cut off Jason Holder flew through the slips for four.

Root, who made 190 against South Africa in his first match as England captain at Lord's last month, pulled Roston Chase to fine leg for a ninth boundary that saw him complete his 13th Test century in 139 balls. Cook then went to his own 182-ball hundred with a single off Chase.

It looked as if England's top-order mainstays would both get through to the close after having negotiated the pink ball quite comfortably, but Root was bowled between bat and pad by the persevering Roach.

Malan had made two when an edged cut off Kraigg Brathwaite hit Jermaine Blackwood before the slip fielder could react.

Further bad news for Windies came when Holder left the field with a neck injury midway through bowling an over before Cook's leg-side clip off Alzarri Joseph, the opener's 23rd four, took him to 150.