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Left arm spinner Nick Cook got his Test chance in 1983 when Phil Edmonds
was injured, and was a noted success with his flightier spin. On his
England debut - against New Zealand at Lord's - he took 5-35 and 3-90,
then 5-63 and 4-87 in the next Test at Trent Bridge, with England
winning both matches. He was an automatic choice for the tours to New
Zealand and Pakistan that followed and, while they were an unhappy time
for the England team as a whole, Cook enhanced his reputation. In
Wellington he bowled 63 overs for figures of 3-153 in the second innings
as New Zealand battled to a draw, and then was dropped as England
preferred an all-seam attack and lost by an innings. In Pakistan he took
6-65 in Karachi then 5-18 as the home team lost seven wickets getting
the 66 they needed for victory.
Cook played three Tests against the West
Indies in 1984 before he was replaced by the veteran off spinner Pat
Pocock. He did not get another Test until the retirement of Phil Edmonds
and in 1986 switched from Leicestershire to Northamptonshire. He toured
Pakistan again in 1987-88, taking 3-87 in Lahore. He played three final
Tests against Australia in 1989, taking 2-85 at Old Trafford and also
playing at Trent Bridge and the Oval. In 1984-85 he toured Zimbabwe with
an English Counties XI lead by Mark Nicholas, and went with England B
to Sri Lanka in 1985-86. He represented Young England against Young West
Indies in 1975, and played in three ODIs in which he took five wickets,
visiting India for the Nehru Trophy in 1989-90. (Bob Harragan)
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