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Sometimes Harry Brook makes everything look easy but some of his recent experiences have been anything but painless, and after scoring a sublime century to steer his team into the World Cup semi-finals England’s white-ball captain described his past few months as “probably the hardest of my life”.
Brook endured a disappointing Ashes, scoring just two half-centuries and averaging 39.77, his second-worst in a Test series in which he has played more than a single innings. It was towards the end of his time in Australia that it was revealed he had got in to a drunken altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington on the eve of the final fixture of his first overseas tour as an international captain, a controversy which has dogged him since.
“It’s probably been the hardest winter of my life to be honest,” he said in Pallekele, after England had secured victory against Pakistan and the two points they needed to claim a place in the final four. “There’s been a lot of stuff behind the scenes. Well, not behind the scenes. But it’s nice to see some rewards for my hard work.”
For the first time in his international T20 career Brook batted at No 3, a move suggested by the team’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, on the morning of the game and communicated to the rest of the squad in the pre-match huddle. The result was another outstanding display against Pakistan, against whom he now averages 62.66 in 10 T20 innings, and 84.1 in the same number of knocks in Tests. In both formats they have now been on the receiving end of his highest score.
“Baz was the mastermind there. He had the discussion with me this morning about going up the order,” Brook said. “Partly it was because of my past and history against Pakistan, but also to try to maximise the powerplay. I know we were losing wickets, but my job was still to put them under pressure throughout.”
The experiment was such a success that Brook may stay there for the foreseeable future. “I don’t know yet, that’s something for me and Baz to chat about. But the longer I bat the better it is for me. It’s a lot easier facing their best bowlers through the middle period when you’re already set.”
Precisely four years before this game, Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took four wickets, including Brook’s with his final ball, had played and won a T20 alongside him for Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan’s PSL. “In his life, I think it was the best innings,” he said of Brook’s effort here.
“He has improved a lot. I’ve never seen a batsman like him. Today he was ready for every ball, he was really prepared for us. The way he took responsibility as a captain, he played a very good innings today.”
