Alastair Cook signs two-year contract extension with Essex

Essex County Cricket Club has announced that opening batter, Alastair Cook signed a two-year contract extension and will remain with the club until the end of the 2023 season.

The 36-year-old is widely renowned as one of the greatest batters to ever play the game. During his international career, he made 161 Test appearances for England, scoring 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35.

The Academy graduate holds several international records, including England's highest Test run-scorer (12,472), England's most-capped Test captain (59) and the most England Test centuries (33).

Since his retirement from international cricket, Cook has been instrumental to Essex's success, contributing with important runs that helped secure the 2019 County Championship title, the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy and the 2021 Division Two title.

Upon signing his contract extension, Cook said: "I have really enjoyed my cricket here at Essex since my international retirement. 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 hopefully will be another successful couple of years."

Essex Head Coach, Anthony McGrath, commented: "It's great news that Cooky has committed his future to the club. 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," he added.