Rogers, Voges inspire South African

South Africa's Stephen Cook has admitted Chris Rogers and Adam Voges were the inspiration behind his debut hundred on day one of the fourth Test against England at Centurion.

At the age of 33, Cook thought his chance at international level might have gone. 

However, the opener grabbed his first opportunity with both hands to become the 100th Test cricketer to score a century on debut. 

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The series may have gone for South Africa, 2-0 down coming into this final Test, yet in Cook there was a good news story that just might imbue South African cricket with hope that they have found the answer to the opening problem that has persisted since Graeme Smith's retirement 18 months ago.

That's not to say Cook will be as successful as Smith, the former captain who was the bedrock of his team's rise to No.1 in the world rankings.

Instead Cook says he is hoping to emulate two Australians in Rogers and Voges by having a late-blossoming career as a Test batsman.

"Absolutely, they're a couple of guys who helped me keep that kept my belief going," he said. 

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"It had happened to other people and it could happen to me. I certainly look at them and their successes and hope I can emulate that and hopefully be successful over a period of time." 

Both Rogers and Voges grabbed their chance for Australia at the wrong side of 35. 

Following his sole appearance against India at the WACA in 2008, Rogers came back into Test cricket at the age of 36 for the 2013 away Ashes series and went on to score five hundreds before bowing out after his team's tour of England last year.

Voges made his debut at 35 in the Caribbean, the tour prior to the last Ashes, and is still going strong having had a stellar series this Australian summer against the West Indies.

Unbeaten scores of 269 and 106 have helped swell his average to an almost Bradman-esque 85.66. 

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So it's no wonder that Aussie pair are an inspiration to all ageing batsmen who harbour dreams of cracking Test cricket.

Cook is not quite at the age Rogers and Voges were when they started to make their mark.

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Yet his achievement yesterday was the result of years of hard slog at domestic level.

"It's a lifelong dream come true," he said. 

"I'd always thought to myself even from a young age, yes it's about making your debut and playing for South Africa but it's about performing as well and scoring hundreds. For so many guys it's just the goal to make the team whereas for me it's so much greater. I want to contribute to wins."

The added feelgood factor to the Cook narrative is the family connection. 

Back in 1992, his father Jimmy became the first debut batsman to be dismissed with the first ball of a Test match.

Cook senior only ended up playing three Tests for South Africa after that inauspicious start against India at Durban. He never made a hundred.

When the pair met on the outfield yesterday evening it was a special moment for the family.

Cook said: "Last night before bed he gave me a call and said ‘My boy, if you just don't get out to the first ball you're already better than me.' 

"He came over and had a word and said he's really proud. I owe a lot to him. He threw balls and fed me bowling machines for many years growing up so that was one for him as well – the one that he never got."

If all good plots pursue the line of the son righting the sins of the father then Cook's story has already got off to a great start. 

He will be hoping this is only the beginning, though, and he can go on now and become the latest of cricket's ‘golden oldies' to flourish in his thirties.