Durham coach Geoff Cook to return to work after heart attack

Durham head coach Geoff Cook intends to return to work "within a week or so" after recovering from a heart attack he suffered in June.

The 61-year-old had passed on first-team duties to seconds coach Jon Lewis during his absence but is fit to return after undergoing a procedure.

"It was a tricky period for myself and my family," Cook told BBC Look North.

"Thanks to some brilliant people in the hospital, now I'm here to get back into cricket. I love cricket too much."

Cook, who played for Durham at the tail-end of a career that brought Test cricket recognition with England, was taken ill at the county's Chester-le-Street ground, and his condition initially remained critical.

However, the Middlesbrough-born coach was discharged from hospital three weeks later and has been back at the Emirates Durham ICG overseeing nets sessions with academy players in preparation for taking on full duties.

"I can't remember anything about it, there was a slight malfunction in my heart," he explained.

"There doesn't seem to be any damage to the heart so it's a question of being able to regulate the pace of it and crack on and be sensible about cracking on."

Lewis and the players have continued the bright start made under Cook in the County Championship, while a run of four straight wins in the FLt20 competition has brought qualification for the knockout stages.

"We've done brilliantly, and it sets the club at all levels for an exciting second half," he added.

"As I said to the members at the start of the season, I felt we could finish in the top three of the Championship and get to the latter stages of the two limited-over competitions.

"That's where we stand now, we have a chance of doing that. It's testament to the captains of the team and the other players who responded to the challenge of being without the star names around them."