Cook hits ton as England draw

Alastair Cook hit his eighth Test hundred to steer England to an inevitable draw against West Indies at Kensington Oval.

Cook's unbeaten 139 comfortably represents his highest Test score and Kevin Pietersen weighed in with 72 not out as the tourists averted anything untoward on the final day of a run-heavy contest.

The pair shook hands with their West Indian opponents at 3.50pm local time after declaring on 279 for two.

English hopes of victory were dashed when the Windies stacked up 749 for nine declared on Sunday but they were required to keep their discipline to maintain an interest in the series.

Having been shot out for just 51 already in this campaign, England highlighted the freak nature of that day at Sabina Park by comfortably wiping out their 149-run deficit on first innings.

Cook, who started the fifth day on nought in an overnight score of six without loss, celebrated his first hundred at this level for more than 14 months before tea and became the third-youngest player, behind Sachin Tendulkar and Ramnaresh Sarwan, to pass 3,000 Test runs.

Pietersen, meanwhile, reached a 74-ball 50 shortly afterwards to continue the rich form of the batsmen since their Jamaican capitulation.

Pre-match talk from England had revolved around how to take 20 wickets but incredibly even the two sides combined could not manage it over a full five days due to the supreme nature of the batting surface.

The loss of captain Andrew Strauss and his Middlesex colleague Owais Shah either side of lunch took the tally in the contest to 17.

Strauss contributed 38 when he chopped into his stumps from an attempted cut in Chris Gayle's first over. Shah was then struck full on the foot by a delivery from Sulieman Benn in the sixth over after lunch to open up an end but Strauss' opening partner Cook and Pietersen ensured there was no collapse from the tourists.