"World class" Sam Cook has been tipped as the heir to James Anderson when the legendary England seamer eventually calls time on his career.
Anderson turned 40 this summer and has featured in 175 Test matches for England in a storied international career that has spanned almost 20 years. And while England's all-time leading wicket taker appears to have no plans of retiring anytime soon, Essex captain Tom Westley believes Cook would be a natural successor to Anderson.
The 25-year-old has been a consistent performer for Essex in the County Championship, having picked up 198 wickets at an average of 19.70 in his entire first-class career. This season alone Cook has taken 36 wickets at 16.47, with only Pakistan international Mohammad Abbas taking more at a lower average.
"We could keep talking about Sammy Cook and I have done relentlessly, but he's absolutely world-class, I don't think there's a better seamer," Westley said after Cook picked up ten wickets in Essex's comprehensive win over Kent by an innings and 260 runs.
"The stats will back it up, he gets wickets in the first innings, the second innings, at Chelmsford and away from Chelmsford and he's phenomenal. We're very lucky to have him at Essex.
"I haven't seen a seamer bowl better than him whenever we've played against any team. He's improving year on year.
"When he started he probably was mid to late 70s, but the work he puts in in the winter, in the gym, he's obviously maturing, he's getting faster as well, so for me, he ticks all the boxes and he can bat a bit as well."
When asked about his England ambitions following a player-of-the-match display in the final of The Hundred, Cook said: "It's something I've definitely got aspirations for. I want to play every format I possibly can.
"Getting a bit of recognition from the England Lions this summer was a big boost and speaking to some of those guys, they rate my white-ball skills. It's in my mind. I'm just trying to improve every area I can: red-ball bowling, white-ball bowling, batting. I try and get better every training session."
