Ben Foakes the latest to get a century on debut for England

| 07 November 2018

The 25-year-old lead the England charge in Galle.

Ben Foakes became the 20th Englishman to score a century on debut against Sri Lanka.

The wicketkeeper-batsman resumed his innings at the start of the day on 87 and found the boundary in the sixth over of the day to reach three figures.

Press Association Sport takes a look at five other English cricketers who have scored a century on debut.

Keaton Jennings, India v England, Mumbai, 2016

England’s Keaton Jennings batting at the Oval (John Walton/PA)

Jennings made 112 on his debut in the difficult Indian subcontinent conditions, and was hailed as the solution to England’s opening problems.

The then-Durham player helped the side to 117 for one in Mumbai, and to 288 for five at the end of the opening day.

Since then Jennings has struggled, averaging just 22 from his 12 Test matches.

Jonathan Trott, England v Australia, The Oval, 2009

England’s Jonathan Trott bats during the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval (Anthony Devlin/PA)

The South African-born Trott was chosen ahead of Robert Key and Mark Ramprakash for his debut in the deciding fifth Ashes Test in 2009.

His century came in the second innings of England’s 197 run win and came as a result of a County Championship season in which he averaged over 80.

Trott played 52 Test matches for England, with an average of 44 and a high-score of 226.

Matthew Prior, England v West Indies, Lord’s, 2007

England’s Matt Prior hits a four at Lord's against the West Indies — England’s Matt Prior hits a four at Lord’s against the West Indies (Rebecca Naden/PA)

Prior became one of four batsman to score a century in the first innings of the Test series against the West Indies, when he scored 126 not out on his debut.

The wicketkeeper-batsman scored his runs at an impressive strike rate of 98.43.

Prior played 79 matches for England, and was an important part of their number one world ranking in 2011, with his average of 40.18.

Alastair Cook, India v England, Nagpur, 2006

Alastair Cook celebrates a century against India at Nagpur in 2006 (Rebecca Naden/PA)

Called into the side at just 21 to replace Marcus Trescothick, Cook made an instant impact, with 104 not out in his second innings, after scoring 60 in his first.

The Essex opener became England’s all-time leading run scorer in 2015 and ended with 12,254 runs including 32 centuries, and captained England’s first series win in India for 28 years in 2012.

Cook played for England for 12 years and in 161 Test matches – 158 of them consecutive – with an average of 45.35.

Andrew Strauss, England v New Zealand, Lord’s 2004

England’s debutant Andrew Strauss on his way to a century, against New Zealand at Lord's — England’s debutant Andrew Strauss on his way to a century, against New Zealand at Lord’s (Sean Dempsey/PA)

Strauss scored 112 in his debut against New Zealand at the home of cricket in 2004 to replace an injured Michael Vaughan.

During his career, he hit 21 centuries for England at an average of 40.91 and captained England to their first Ashes win in Australia since 1986 in the winter of 2010-11.

The left-handed opener formed a strong partnership with both Trescothick and then Cook at the top of the order during his 100 Test matches.

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