Essex County News

Former England skipper Cook announced his retirement after accumulating over 350 first-class appearances and 26,000-plus runs, including 74 centuries. The 38-year-old had last appeared for England in 2018 following which he had been plying his trade for Essex in the County Championship.

Over the years, T20s have led to a serious increase in the creativity exhibited by batters but the one weapon that has remained effective for bowlers is a searing bouncer. However, Tom Banton seemed to put the final nail in pacers' coffin in the T20 Blast final with an audacious scoop shot.

Surrey will take on Middlesex at the Kia Oval while Essex faces Kent at Chelmsford in the first round of newly-designed Bob Willis Trophy which will get underway on August 1. All competitions will be staged under strict health-and-safety protocols, with the ECB changing a lot of playing conditions.