ENGLAND batsman Alastair Cook has signed a two-year contract extension with Essex, taking him up to the end of the 2011 season. The opener, whose existing deal was due to expire at the end of the 2009 campaign, has agreed to commit himself further to the club with which he has spent his entire career to date.

ENGLAND batsman Alastair Cook has signed a two-year contract extension with Essex, taking him up to the end of the 2011 season.

The opener, whose existing deal was due to expire at the end of the 2009 campaign, has agreed to commit himself further to the club with which he has spent his entire career to date.

The 23-year-old's Essex appearances have been restricted since making his England debut in 2006, for whom he has already scored 2573 Test runs at 42.88, including seven centuries.

Cook's development as a one-day cricketer has also earned him a regular place in the limited-overs squad, with 22 one-day international and two Twenty20 international appearances to his name thus far.

The left-hander played his part in Essex's Friends Provident Trophy victory in 2008, scoring a crucial 95 in the semi-final against Yorkshire Carnegie at The Ford County Ground and 33 in a low-scoring Final triumph over Kent Spitfires at Lord's.