Cook picked up the injury during Essex's recent innings victory over Kent, bowling just six overs in the Kent first innings then none at all in the second. Today, Essex released a statement saying that Cook would miss Essex's first two T20 Blast fixtures against Gloucestershire and Somerset.

The statement read: "Sam Cook sustained a hamstring injury during the last Vitality County Championship match away at Kent, and is currently being assessed by the Club’s medical team following a scan to find out the extent of the injury."

Cook has enjoyed an outstanding start to the 2024 County Championship and is currently the joint top wicket-taker in Division One having taken 29 wickets at 13.62. Cook boasts a remarkable career first-class bowling average of 19.32, with almost all of his first-class cricket coming in the top tier of the County Championship.

His good form has led to some pundits call for Cook to be as a possible candidate to replace James Anderson in the England Test side when the 41-year-old hangs up his boots after the first Test of the summer against West Indies at Lord's.

Depending on the severity of the injury, the news could further limit England's options in the first stages of a post-Anderson world. Josh Tongue, who impressed last summer in his two Test appearances, will miss at least the West Indies series while Jamie Overton has already been ruled out of the entirety of the Test summer. Jofra Archer is only just making his way back to full fitness and will not play any red-ball cricket this summer.

Elsewhere, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson and Matt Potts are among the most likely contenders to make up the England seam attack, while the likes of Dillon Pennington and Gus Atkinson may also come into the equation, too.

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