There is a children's poem called The Hippopotamus's Birthday that tells of the excitement that the river beast feels as he opens his biggest present and the misery on discovering that he has been given a pair of boots.

Such were the emotions this week of Mark Pettini, the Essex captain, as he waited to see what Alastair Cook, his housemate and team-mate, had bought him. Pettini, who turned 25 nine days ago, had even used a local newspaper column to complain that Cook had forgotten because he was playing for England.

“My housemate is usually brilliant at buying me presents, but this time round I didn't even get a card,” Pettini wrote. “I was a bit upset, but hopefully he'll bring something nice home from England's Test win at the Oval.”

What was he expecting? A stump, perhaps? The match ball? A signed photograph of Kevin Pietersen? Instead, as Pettini said yesterday, “despite his millions, he bought me a cheese-cutter, a giant soup spoon and a designer egg cup”.

The second part of Cook's present - and one that you cannot buy in the Chelmsford branch of Lidl - could be to come. If Cook makes a big score at Lord's today in the final of the Friends Provident Trophy against Kent and Essex win their first 50-over competition since 1998, Pettini will be delighted. Cook has barely played for his county this season, but in his previous appearance, in the semi-finals of this competition against Yorkshire, he made a match-winning 95.

Pettini said that it would be good to welcome his friend back to their shared house in East Hanningfield, near Chelmsford, even if it means that he has to do some chores. “I've not seen him as much as I'd like recently,” he said. This was before getting his birthday present, mind. “One of the arrangements we have is that I have to pull my weight in the house, make sure that the home is clean for him.

“He's occasionally pushed it so far as to ask me to wash and iron his England kit.” Few captains would go so far to please a team-mate.

Another reason to welcome back Cook is that they can resume their battle on the oche. Both are darts mad and they installed a board, oche and scoring system in their living-room as well as getting matching His and His darts smocks made with nicknames on the back. “Cooky's nickname is 'Bed and Breakfast' [scoring 1, 20 and 5 with three darts] and I'm 'In The Madhouse' [double 1],” Pettini said.

While Cook is the biggest star in the Essex firmament, Pettini, who has a degree in astronomy, says that there are others just as bright. Take Graham Napier, scorer of 152 not out in this year's Twenty20 Cup, Ravi Bopara, who made a double-hundred off 138 balls in the quarter-finals of this competition, or Pettini, who made 144 against Surrey in a group match.

“I'm extremely proud of the guys,” Pettini, who was made captain halfway through last season, said. “They have exceeded my expectations.” He also praised James Foster, the wicketkeeper, saying: “I'm flabbergasted by how good he has been this season.”

Foster has been struggling with a virus but should be fit, while Pettini visited an eye specialist in Birmingham yesterday during Essex's LV County Championship match against Warwickshire after complaining of blurred vision. A spokesman for Essex said that it was a slight astigmatism and would not hinder him today.

Kent have also had concerns over the fitness of several players, including Azhar Mahmood and Yasir Arafat, the influential all-rounders, but expect to name a first-choice XI. Robert Key, the Kent captain, has impressed many with the way he has led the team and his name was mentioned recently as a replacement for Michael Vaughan as England captain.

“It's nice when Sir Ian Botham and people like that are touting your name,” Key, whose most recent appearance for England was in 2005, said yesterday. “There's not many people who get talked about as a potential England captain when they aren't even in the side. It's something I will be proud about, even if I don't play for England again.”