Essex will have England opener Alastair Cook back for their final two Specsavers County Championship Division One matches this month.
All-time record England runscorer Cook, a key part of Ashes plans for Joe Root's tourists this winter, will be available for his county's trip to Hampshire next week and then the final fixture of the season at home to Yorkshire.
Essex are already on the brink of their first championship title since 1992 and may clinch the silverware before Cook's return, depending on the outcome of their ongoing match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston and second-placed Lancashire's away to Somerset.
Head coach Chris Silverwood said of Cook's return: "Obviously it is always a massive bonus to get a player of Alastair's calibre back into the squad and around the group.
"He made a massive difference earlier in the season and helped set us on the path we have been on. We hope now he can come back and help us achieve the dream of lifting the Division One title."
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