Essex opener Alastair Cook talks exclusively to the Essex CCC website about his return to domestic action and reveals his new darts nickname. 

Essex CCC: Essex’s match at Derby last week was your first game of competitive cricket for a month – were you itching to get back at the crease again?

Alastair Cook: It was great to have a break and get away from the game but you then want to make the most of your opportunities when you get back into playing. 

You haven’t managed a big score in your three innings back with Essex to date so are you concerned by that?

Of course you would like to score a hundred everytime you bat but I’m aware that doesn’t happen. I’d have liked to have had a couple more nets on grass by now but you can’t do much about the weather. Hopefully the rain will hold off for the New Zealand game and I can take my chance there.   

How important are these breaks to recharge your batteries?

Very important. The cricket is always very intense on international Test and ODI tours so they are hard work. These breaks are refreshing and it is nice to do something different.

What did you do in that month?

I stayed on in New Zealand for a week after the Test series (around the Bay of Islands) and it was really nice to be able to turn my phone off for a week. When you go on tour you don’t always get to see the country you are visiting so this was a good way to unwind. Then when I got back home it was time to think about getting into training for the domestic season. There have also been a few dinners and press events to attend so I’ve been keeping busy!

You were also spotted on telly at the Darts at Wembley Arena last month with Mark Pettini – that’s becoming really popular in the Essex dressing room, isn’t it?

I’d been trying to get people into darts at Essex for ages without much success. And then I get back from New Zealand and suddenly everyone’s into it because of Jason Gallian’s interest in it. All of a sudden I’m almost not the biggest darts fan in the dressing room!

I also understand you and (housemate) Mark Pettini have your own darts shirts?

That was an unexpected present for me from Swampy (Mark Pettini) when I got back from New Zealand. We both have our nicknames on the back of our shirts – mine being Alastair ‘Bed and Breakfast’ Cook and Mark’s being Mark ‘In the Madhouse’ Pettini. There is even a lovely caricature on my shirt of me cooking on a barbecue using a cricket bat!

(For the unitiated, both are darts terms – ‘Bed and Breakfast’ being a score of 5, 20 and 1 and ‘In the Madhouse’ being when a thrower needs a double 1)

As well as being a Darts aficionado, Jason Gallian – your new opening partner at Essex in first-class cricket - has also made a good impression on the cricket field since arriving at Essex. Is he a player you’ve admired over the years?

Anyone who has been at the top of the game for so long must have tremendous skills. Longevity in cricket only comes from skill and talent. Having an experienced player like Jason at the club can only benefit and he’s fitted into the changing room very well.

Speaking of the dressing room – has there been much reaction among the players to your naked Cosmo shoot?

It seems to have sneaked under the radar – which is very enjoyable! Most of the lads have seen it but I’ve not been here that much so I’ve avoided the flak. Obviously it was all for a very important cause – Everyman’s testicular cancer campaign – so all the stick would be worth it anyway!

Initially the games you were allowed to play for Essex before the first Test were all four-day games – were you pleased the ECB allowed you to play in the Friends Provident Trophy as well?

Peter Moores (England Head Coach) is very flexible. After the Derby game, when I only had one knock (not including the second innings in contrived conditions), I felt I could do with another knock on Sunday. The guidelines set out for availability work very well and it’s as much down to me as it’s down to Peter Moores as to whether I play or not. Peter is exceptional in the way he deals with the players on this issue.

With all the talk about the IPL and Twenty20 cricket in general presumably you are still ambitious to play international Twenty20 cricket, so how much of your time are you going to spend trying to perfect shots for that form of the game?

It is important to get the balance right. I was England’s leading run scorer in our two winter Test series so I am fully focused on Test match cricket. If the chance to play one-day cricket comes along then of course I’ll develop my game but first and foremost at the moment I need to get my brain in gear.