Cook ties up new Essex deal

Alastair Cook on England duty © Getty Images

England batsman Alastair Cook has signed a new three-year contract with Essex on the eve of leaving on Friday as part of the squad for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia.

The 21-year-old put pen to paper on the deal that will keep him at Chelmsford until the end of the 2009 season.

Cook was recently awarded a central contract by the ECB after an excellent start to his Test career that included 60 in his first Test innings against India and then 104 in the second at the beginning of this year.

He became the 16th England batsman to make a century on debut and then followed with back-to-back hundreds against Pakistan in 2006, he has scored 761 Test runs at an average of 54.35.

Alastair Cook has a solid technique at the crease

Cook said: “I’ll be here for another three years and it’s excellent for me to have confirmed that. Essex have been very good to me in the last three or four years since I started playing county cricket, and even before that, so I hope my relationship with them can continue.

“I’m looking forward to still being around the Club but hopefully not playing too much because that will mean I’m still playing for England, which is very much what I want to be doing.”

Essex chief executive David East added: “We are delighted that Alastair has been awarded a central contract but have overlaid that by agreeing a contract with him at Essex up to 2009.”

The left-hander also compiled two centuries in just three Liverpool Victoria County Championship matches for Essex during the 2006 season to finish with 424 runs at an average of 141.33.