Alistair Cook got little sympathy from Australias players – or his colleague Joe Root – after taking a painful blow to the groin during the second day of play in the First Ashes Test at Cardiff on Thursday.
The England captain was fielding at first slip when Steve Smith edged a fast delivery from Jimmy Anderson into his groin region. Cook was clearly in a lot of pain and had to leave the field for treatment, but Root was pictured smiling and Australia batsman Chris Rogers, who was at the non-strikers end, could not help sniggering, too.
I was trying not to laugh, he admitted. Its an unfortunate injury, and there was a sickening sound, but when I saw Joe Root laughing, I thought he [Cook] must be OK.
Read IBTimes UK sports editor Nick Howsons match report from Cardiff
Rogers was more upset that he failed to score a century yet again, having set a world record for seven straight half-centuries in Test cricket without reaching 100.
It is a nice stat but a shame none of them is a hundred. As an opening batsman it is important to be consistent, and by doing that you are doing a job for the team, so I can be quite proud of that, he said.
But he said Australia feel they let a good start slip as they went from 145 for one to finish the day on 266 for five, still 166 runs behind England.
I think they (England) are in a happier position at the moment. We now have to get a lot of runs and even get a lead, said Rogers.
If you look at it today, perhaps we could have been more patient, but you cant have it both ways. That is how the guys play and weve been successful doing it, but every now and again we are going to get out playing that way. As a side our mentality is to be positive, so when this happens you have to accept it.
For a lot of us to get out the way we did is going to hurt, particularly when we had a chance to make it count. I got into the 90s, there were three 30s, and the ways we got out will hurt us. Were better than that, but these things happen. If you play positive cricket and go at it, you are sometimes going to get out these ways.
Rogers knows Australia need a good start on Friday morning to try to catch and even overtake Englands score of 430. The first session is crucial. We cannot concede a big deficit, otherwise it will be an uphill battle for us. We have to get close and get to a position where we can put England under pressure for the third innings.
