ASHES-winning England captain Alastair Cook will not appear for Essex in their NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final tie tonight (Thursday).
England had released Cook to allow him to play for the Eagles in their last eight-clash against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.
But it has been decided not to include him in the squad to face the Bears.
Eagles head coach Paul Grayson said: “After discussions between myself, Alastair and one-day captain Ryan ten Doeschate, we all agreed that we would give the group of players who have featured throughout the competition the chance to travel to Edgbaston to try and get us to Finals Day.
“He is 100 per cent behind the decision.”
Essex begin their quest for a semi-final berth at 6.30pm on Thursday. The winners will play their semi-final match on Saturday, August 29, at Edgbaston.
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