England Test skipper Alastair Cook has been named in the Essex squad for his first appearance of the summer ahead of Friday’s NatWest T20 Blast match against Surrey at The Oval.
The 30-year-old last represented the Eagles in T20 cricket more than 12 months ago, he is also due to play for his county in their next LV= County Championship against Derbyshire and Gloucestershire.
Essex Eagles welcome back this man to the squad for tomorrow’s @surreycricket trip in @NatWestT20Blast #CookIsBack pic.twitter.com/7bhQTqfxLM
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) June 4, 2015
“He’s a class player, as everyone knows, and his presence will be a boost for us,” Essex head coach Paul Grayson told club’s official website.
“We’ve had a difficult few weeks but I’m sure we’ll turn things around, hopefully starting with a win on Friday night. Having Cooky around will boost everyone in our dressing room, he loves playing for Essex and we love having him around.”
Cook became England’s highest Test Match run scorer earlier this week by scoring 75 against New Zealand when he surpasses Graham Gooch’s tally of 8,900.
Essex Squad to play Surrey on Friday:
Ryan ten Doeschate, Jesse Ryder, Alastair Cook, Tom Westley, Ravi Bopara, Kishen Velani, James Foster, Greg Smith, Graham Napier, David Masters, Reece Topley, Shaun Tait, Aron Nijjar, Jamie Porter.