Prolific Essex seamer added to party after claiming 58 Championship wickets in 2021

Cook, 24, claimed an impressive 58 wickets at 14.43 in the 2021 County Championship, including a remarkable haul of ten wickets in a single day, across two innings, as Essex routed Northamptonshire inside two days in their final match of the season.

Having broken into the Essex first team during the 2017 season, Cook has claimed a total of 162 first-class wickets at 20.35 in 47 appearances. In that time, he has contributed to two County Championship titles in 2017 and 2019, plus the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 and the second division title in the now-abandoned conference system used last summer.

He was also a member of the T20 side that claimed the Blast title in 2019, and last summer picked up a further 20 wickets in Essex’s T20 Blast campaign in 2021, despite the club’s failure to progress from the group stage.

He will link up with the other 14 members of the Lions squad ahead of their departure for Australia on November 4, where he will shadow the main Ashes party alongside other seam bowling reserves, including Durham’s Brydon Carse, Warwickshire’s Liam Norwell, and Saqib Mahmood of Lancashire.

“Can’t wait to get out there now!” Cook tweeted, in response to the call-up.

England Lions squad: Tom Abell (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Alex Lees (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Liam Norwell (Warwickshire), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Rob Yates (Warwickshire)