Man Utd, DJing and Fred the tortoise - meet Sam Cook

Sam Cook has a problem.

Thursday greeting is apt to beryllium nan pinnacle of his profession truthful far. An England Test debut for nan Essex seamer, nan outstanding bowler successful home cricket for immoderate time. Plenty would reason it is agelong overdue.

Ordinarily, Wednesday evening would beryllium nan clip to relax, to attraction power connected Zimbabwe batters and dream of adulation from nan Trent Bridge crowd. Trouble is, Cook's attraction will beryllium connected Bilbao, wherever 1 of his different passions will beryllium looking to salvage thing from their wretched season.

"I perceive it each nan clip arsenic a Manchester United instrumentality from Essex. Glory huntsman this and that," Cook tells BBC Sport. "It stemmed from erstwhile I was very young and David Beckham was astatine nan highest of his powers.

"I sewage into United astir 2002, 2003, conscionable arsenic he near to spell to Real Madrid. My parents thought I'd battalion it successful and support personification else, but maine and my relative Jack persevered."

Cook is simply a United season-ticket holder, splitting nan driving pinch Jack connected trips to Old Trafford whenever nan cricketing schedule allows. On Wednesday, for United's Europa League last against Tottenham Hotspur, his institution mightiness beryllium chap England seamer and instrumentality Josh Tongue.

"I'll beryllium much tense and affectional watching United than I will beryllium pinch cricket," says Cook. "I'd for illustration to deliberation erstwhile it comes to cricket I tin support things beautiful level, but shot is simply a different story.

"It plays connected different emotions. It astir apt wouldn't beryllium nan champion measurement to relax nan nighttime earlier a game, but I'll still put myself done it."

As a boy, Cook's first emotion was football, pinch cricket following. At 27, he is of emblematic property to person been exposed to and inspired by nan 2005 Ashes.

Now he is yet getting nan opportunity to transportation his prolific wicket-taking successful region cricket to nan highest stage.

At nan clip of his call-up, Cook's 227 County Championship wickets were nan astir by immoderate seamer successful nan past 5 years. Overall, his 321 first-class wickets person travel astatine an mean of only 19.85.

In different circumstances world nickname would person travel agelong ago, but successful Cook's early years nan roadworthy was blocked by all-time greats James Anderson and Stuart Broad, while latterly England's action process has led them to look elsewhere. Favouring bowlers of higher pace, location has only been room successful nan onslaught for 1 bowler for illustration Cook, whose superior skills are accuracy and movement. An wounded to Chris Woakes has opened nan door.

For Cook, an England headdress will beryllium nan adjacent shape connected a travel that began pinch bowling astatine younger relative Jack successful nan garden. Father Steve "nurdled a fewer pinch nan bat and bowled immoderate medium-pace" for Maldon, Alastair Cook's erstwhile club, while Jack was "probably much talented" and is now Essex's squad analyst.

From Writtle Cricket Club, past to Chelmsford CC, wherever Cook is still progressive erstwhile clip permits. He made his first-class debut astatine Loughborough University, now a uncommon way into a master crippled progressively populated by beneficiaries of backstage schoolhouse scholarships.

Cook publication history and world relations astatine Loughborough and "likes a discussion", according to erstwhile Essex bowling coach Mick Lewis. "Stuff going connected successful Australia, America, France. If location are news headlines astir nan world he will inquire your thoughts connected it," says Lewis.

It was besides astatine Loughborough wherever Cook dabbled successful his different emotion - location music.

"That's my quiet passion connected nan side, not thing that's excessively public. If you went to Loughborough betwixt nan years of 2016 and 2018 you mightiness person travel crossed a spot of it connected a nationalist stage," he says.

"I do emotion my creation euphony and DJ culture. I've still sewage my afloat set-up astatine home."

These days Cook's assemblage is constricted to his household, including pet tortoise Fred.

"He's going beardown astatine 70-odd years old," says Cook. "He's my pridefulness and joy, retired of hibernation and moving astir nan garden.

"Tortoises are very low-maintenance pets, truthful bully for cricketers. A spot of lettuce, a spot of cucumber, a fewer trots astir nan plot and he's rather happy. If a cricketer is looking to get a pet, get a tortoise - they are perfectly designed for winters distant and summers astatine home."

Cook's astir caller wintertime was nan last measurement connected nan roadworthy to world cricket. Given he has been overlooked for truthful long, fewer would person blamed him had he fixed up and chased nan dollars successful short-form leagues.

Instead, he turned down "a fewer bits of franchise stuff" to play for England Lions successful Australia, and was 1 of nan standout performers successful an different disappointing tour. While nan Lions grounded to triumph immoderate of their 3 matches, Cook claimed 13 wickets, a useful objection of his expertise pinch nan Kookaburra shot successful an Ashes year.

"I made nan correct determination to spell pinch nan Lions and show what I could do successful Australia," he says. "It's strengthened my origin for world cricket."

At a clip erstwhile England person altered their action methods, Cook's inclusion shows region performances tin still supply a way to nan Test team.

He possibly should person been astir aggrieved past summer, erstwhile nan exceptionally greenish Josh Hull was fixed an opportunity aft Mark Wood sewage injured. At nan time, England head of cricket Rob Key explained nan determination was down to styles of bowling, and Cook would person been successful nan framework had a replacement for Woakes been needed. Cook, therefore, had to hold a small longer.

"I conscionable wanted to cognize what they wanted to spot maine doing," says Cook. "It wasn't a lawsuit of kicking up a fuss aliases moaning, I was conscionable hopeless to cognize really I could improve.

"It was ne'er a lawsuit of 'we don't deliberation you're accelerated enough'. It was conscionable trying to push nan echelons of my gait arsenic precocious arsenic I could, honing skills, and a batch of it was conscionable that nan guys successful beforehand were better, which is existent for bowlers for illustration Jimmy and Broady."

So Cook arrives successful Test cricket battle-hardened, comfortable pinch his crippled and, successful his opinion, "in a amended spot than if I was picked a twelvemonth aliases 2 ago".

At his best, he will supply England pinch power and accuracy. Holding magnitude is 1 of his cardinal skills. In nan past 5 years, much than 77% of his deliveries successful nan Championship person been connected a bully length, comfortably nan highest percent of nan apical 10 seamers.

"It is not what nan shot does but wherever it does it from that counts," says Lewis, nan erstwhile Australia seamer now connected Yorkshire's coaching staff. "He puts nan shot successful nan correct areas and asks questions capable times of batsmen.

"Batsmen get retired successful 2 ways: mediocre decision-making aliases bad changeable selection. He puts capable balls successful nan areas to get 1 of those 2 options. He shifts nan shot some ways but his expertise to clasp his magnitude is beautiful special."

The past clip Zimbabwe played a Test successful England, 22 years ago, nan bid was celebrated for nan debut of Anderson, nan patron saint of English-style seamers for illustration Cook.

Anderson marked his front astatine Lord's pinch a five-wicket haul. A prime was put to Cook - to declare a debut five-for of his own, aliases spot Manchester United triumph nan Europa League?

"It's a no-brainer," he says. "I'll return nan five-for. If we lose, I'll beryllium telling everyone nan Europa League is an irrelevant trophy. Hopefully I tin beryllium greedy and tin get both."