A slow left-arm spinner who usually opened the bowling, Cooke began playing for Otago soon after he arrived in Dunedin, appearing in the annual match against Canterbury in January 1880 at the age of 17.
Cooke, a talented but slow-moving left-arm bowler, began competing for Otago soon after arriving in Dunedin and made his debut in the annual contest against Canterbury in January 1880 when he was just 17 years old.