Alastair Cook Available For Last Two County Games; Essex Delighted
Sep 14, 2017 at 5:14 PM
England’s opening batsman Alastair Cook, who plays for Essex, has made himself available for selection. Coming from a back to back series win against South Africa and West Indies, Cook missed Essex’s previous match against Warwickshire. Cook scored 572 runs in eight matches in the recently concluded international season at home. Cook has already played in seven out of the 12 matches this season.
Cook who has had a long season will most probably join Essex after their match against Warwickshire. However, Essex are at the top of the table are set to win the Division One title since 1992. If Essex manage to beat Warwickshire and Lancashire lose to Somerset, they will clinch the title with two matches to go. Cook is currently Essex’s second highest run scorer this season with 667 runs in 10 innings. Essex is currently 36 points clear of second place Lancashire with 186 points in 11 concluded games.
Essex’s head coach Chris Silverwood was excited about Cook’s inclusion for the last two matches. He said:
“Obviously it is always a massive bonus to get a player of Alastair’s caliber back into the squad and around the group, he made a massive difference earlier in the season and helped set us on the path we have been on. Hopefully now he can come back and help us achieve the dream of lifting the Division One title.”
Cook has been England’s top order mainstay for almost a decade now but since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, England has been struggling to find a constant partner for the former captain. England’s next campaign is the Ashes Down Under which will begin on 23rd November. County matches will be Alastair Cook’s last preparation for the Ashes series.