Sam Cook hailed the depth of Trent Rockets’ squad as key to their success, after his Match Hero performance in the final at Lord’s.

Cook recorded figures of 4/18 as the Rockets won their maiden title in The Hundred, and he was quick to shower praise on those who may have been further from the spotlight during the course of the competition.

“The biggest strength of our squad has been its depth,” he said.

“If you look at the guys we’ve not got playing, waiting in the wings, it’s testament to the recruitment that’s been done.

“And to have a bloke like Lewis [Gregory] in at eight, who’s got the ability to hit blokes all over the park, is quite a luxury.

“With the ball we’ve got so many all-rounders and so much depth too. You look at someone like Matt Carter, who probably slid under the radar tonight but came in for the biggest game of the tournament and nailed his skills. He was brilliant.”

In a low-scoring encounter at the Home of Cricket, Cook took the crucial scalps of Laurie Evans and Wayne Madsen early in Manchester Originals’ innings, before the North West-based side made 120 from their 100 balls.

Cook’s efforts were almost required with the bat, before captain Gregory sealed the contest.

“The batters are coming so hard at you at times that it can feel like a pretty tough job being a bowler,” he said.

“I think you’ve got to savour nights like tonight, because they don’t come round too often in this format.

“It was definitely nice to have a conducive surface to work with as a seamer.

“I’ve enjoyed bowling at Lord’s quite a lot in the past so that gave me a good bit of confidence coming into the game.

“When I walked off at half time I definitely was hoping I wouldn’t have to strap my pads on tonight, so I was a bit nervous towards the end!

“But the likes of Andy Flower are really good at keeping it calm and making sure you know what your role is. It’s a great team that we have around us.”

Flower’s international and franchise experience proved crucial, according to Cook, throughout the course of the campaign.

“Andy has been phenomenal,” he said.

“He’s been there and done it, and he knows what to do when the pressure’s on at the back end of the tournament.

“He doesn’t always say a lot, but when he talks he makes it count, and it’s been a real privilege to work with him.”