Cook sticks with Essex

Alastair Cook, the England batsman, has extended his contract with Essex until 2009. Cook, 21, put pen to paper on Friday shortly before flying out with England to Australia.

"I'll be here for another three years and it's excellent for me to have confirmed that," he told the club's website. "Essex have been very good to me in the last three or four years since I started playing county cricket, and even before that, so I hope my relationship with them can continue."

Cook, 21, has had a dream start to his international career with a century on debut against India at Nagpur, the 16th Englishman to do so, and followed it up with two more hundreds against Pakistan in the summer.

"I'm looking forward to still being around the club but hopefully not playing too much because that will mean I'm still playing for England, which is very much what I want to be doing." David East, the Essex chief executive, added: "We are delighted that Alastair has been awarded a central contract but have overlaid that by agreeing a contract with him at Essex up to 2009."