Former England captain to remain in game after signing two-year renewal
Cook, England’s all-time leading run-scorer in Test cricket and former captain, signed a three-year deal with Essex upon his retirement from the international game in 2018 and was a key player during their back-to-back red-ball titles in 2019 and 2020, the County Championship followed by the Bob Willis Trophy.
“I have really enjoyed my cricket here at Essex since my international retirement,” Cook said. “We are lucky to have a fantastic dressing room and great coaching staff, led brilliantly by Anthony McGrath, and I’m looking forward to what is hopefully another successful couple of years.”
McGrath, the club’s head coach, said that Cook was “still one of the best batters in the world” and suggested that he would remain a key part of their plans in 50-over cricket, after a prolific Royal London Cup season in 2021.
“It’s great news that Cooky has committed his future to the club,” he said. “Alastair is still one of the best batters in the world and he’s so important for us both on and off the field. He has the ability to take the game away from the opponents in both red-ball and white-ball cricket, and that’s something every head coach wants in their team.
“He’s also a great role model for the younger lads coming through and has a wealth of knowledge that all the players in our dressing room, including the senior pros, tap into from time to time.”
Cook has scored 2237 first-class runs at an average of 45.65 since his international retirement, though he had a relatively lean 2021 summer by his own standards, making 611 Championship runs at 32.15 with only four scores of 50 or more.