Mark Stoneman scored 120 runs in the three-Test series against the West Indies

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Alastair Cook believes that his opening partner Mark Stoneman has all the qualities and skills necessary to make a name for himself at the Test level.

Stoneman was called up to the Test squad for the recent Test series against the West Indies and made his debut in the day-night match at Edgbaston.

He featured in all three Tests and accumulated 120 runs, which included a fifty, at an average of 30.

Prior to Stoneman, 11 players have been given the opportunity to become Cook’s full-time partner at the top of the order, but none of them have been able to get the job done.

With England having been on the hunt for a solid opener since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012, Cook feels that the search could finally be over.

“I like Mark. I really like Mark,” Cook told The Telegraph. “I think out of all of them – and I don’t mean this disrespectfully to the guys who’ve played – Mark seems to have a lot of good stuff.

“He seems to have fewer weaknesses, which in international cricket get exploited very quickly now; quicker than it was when I started.”

Stoneman moved to Surrey at the end of last season after being one of the most consistent batsmen for Durham for almost a decade.

When asked about the 30-year-old’s move to The Oval, Cook said: “I like Rocky. I think Rocky’s slightly different. He’s a bit older, he’s seen a lot more.

“And the big move for him was coming down to Surrey. Four years of a thousand runs or more at Durham. Coming down to Surrey on a big money move – if that makes sense in cricket – straight away, he delivered. He’s ready. I think he’s going to be good.”

Going into the summer solely as an opening batsman, Cook, who resigned as Test captain in February, enjoyed a lot of success with the bat in the Test series against South Africa and the West Indies.

Against the Proteas, the 32-year-old made two half-centuries, but his best knock came in the first Test against the men from the Caribbean as he scored a superb 243.

With a solid summer behind him, Cook will no doubt be looking to find himself among the runs when England travel to Australia for the Ashes in November.

“You can just go out and enjoy cricket as cricket and go home and leave the game of cricket,” Cook said. “You’re not thinking – who am I going to bowl tomorrow? There were a couple of games this summer where I knew we would win, but my heartbeat would have been saying – what if this happens, what if that happens? Instead you think – I know we’re going to win this. It’s more relaxing.”