Essex tie Sam Cook to two-year contract extension

Cook's previous deal was entering its final year, but the England Lions bowler – widely considered to be among the best uncapped players in the country – has committed his future to his home club

Essex seamer Sam Cook has signed a new contract with the county, keeping him at Chelmsford until at least the end of the 2025 season.

Cook's previous deal was entering its final year, but the England Lions bowler – widely considered to be among the best uncapped players in the country – has committed his future to his home club.

In a summer of runs for batters, where bowlers tended to find life more difficult, Cook took 51 wickets at 16.23 apiece in the 2022 County Championship, with those statistics coming after he was a belated inclusion on the Lions trip to Australia the previous winter.

He has taken more than 200 first-class wickets since making his debut in 2016 for Loughborough University, where he was part of a precociously talented team, several members of which have also made it as professionals.

^{Cook is one of the leading bowlers on the domestic circuit (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Cook has been tipped to make the step-up to England's senior side in the not-too-distant future and is one of just four players named in both red-ball and white-ball squads for the upcoming Lions trip to Sri Lanka next month.

"I'm happy with the progress I've made this season with the help of Anthony McGrath and (Essex bowling coach) Mick Lewis," he said, "and I feel my white-ball game in particular is going from strength to strength.

"I've had the opportunity to test my skills in the Vitality Blast and The Hundred this year, which was especially rewarding.

"I am always seeking ways to improve and look forward to heading overseas with England Lions before the season gets underway in April."

Sam Cook first-class record

Matches: 59

Wickets: 213

Average: 19.37

Cook was the first bowler since Alan Ward in 1971 to reach the landmark of 200 first-class wickets while averaging sub-20 since Derbyshire's Alan Ward in 1971

McGrath, Essex's head coach, reiterated the commonly held view that he is "one of the best bowlers in the county game", with several seamers across the circuit having professed to looking at him as an example to follow.

"He's enjoyed another fantastic year and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before he will get an opportunity to showcase his skills at international level," added McGrath.

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