Not a great spinner of the ball, Cook relied on accuracy and flight: if he lacked penetration as a bowler, he was also very rarely mastered.

[5] In 1948, with the Bristol pitch dressed with loam instead of sand, Cook declined considerably and never threatened the superbly-skilled Australian batsmen, and it took him until August 1949 to recapture any sort of form.

Cook took 139 wickets in 1950, but by this time Johnny Wardle, Malcolm Hilton, and later Tony Lock – all far better batsmen and fielders – were able to prevent him from having the slightest chance of returning to Test cricket.

[6] Owing to the loss of Goddard, Cook faltered a little between 1951 and 1955, but the wet summer and dry spring of 1956 allowed him to form a combination with Bomber Wells that led Cook to his most successful season[7] with 149 wickets for less than fifteen runs apiece, including an amazing ten for 35 against Worcestershire and thirteen for 121 against Nottinghamshire.

The following two seasons were moderate, but with the newly found spinning riches of John Mortimore and David Allen, Gloucestershire acquired the most formidable bowling attack in the country during the brilliant summer of 1959, with Cook "making full use of his wealth of experience".