Sir Alastair Cook says Essex’s County Championship title win vindicates his decision to keep playing after retiring from England duty. Cook top-scored for his Division One county with 913 runs at 45.65 apiece and his innings of 53 and 30 not out against Somerset helped steer Essex to a draw in their title-decider at Taunton.
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Cook, who retired from international cricket in 2018, says he plans to play on after celebrating the county’s second Championship title in three years. “This is the reason I carried on,” said Cook, who signed a new three-year deal with Essex 12 months ago. “The guys wanted me to play, I wanted to play and I wanted to win trophies. I really enjoy county cricket, it’s a bunch of lads I play with every day.
“You hope you can add a bit to the environment and score a few runs, and to win a trophy at the end of it is really special. “I’m really happy for our coach Anthony McGrath, who took over from Chris Silverwood. That’s a tough job when you have won a league [under Silverwood] for the first time in 25 years. “But he’s moved it forward in his own way and it’s been a real special year for the club.”
