Sports
THEY were the comments that overshadowed England’s defeat by Australia in the first one-day international.
“If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field then who cares?” said England’s stand-in captain Harry Brook after a series of batters were caught in the deep at Trent Bridge.
Social media was awash with suggestions England’s players weren’t bothered.
It didn’t matter enough.
On Tuesday at Chester-le-Street, Brook scored a superb, match-winning first ODI century to win the third match and keep the series alive.
“People took that a little bit the wrong way,” Brook said afterwards when asked about those critics.
“You have got to go out and play fearlessly and almost have that who cares attitude.
“That is not who cares if we lose. We still want to win but you don’t want to go out there and have a fear of getting out.”
Brook, standing in as England captain for the first time in place of injured skipper Jos Buttler, wants to instill the aggressive attitude that has largely helped the Test side under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
“We have seen so many times in the Test environment, the way people are getting out,” Brook said.
“You have got to have that fearless attitude and take it to the bowlers.”
But did Brook bat differently?
Brook hits two fours off Abbott
Brook’s innings, though, was a notably different from his own knock in Nottingham.
There, as he looked to build on a sizeable platform having come in at 168-2, he thrashed 39 from 31 balls before chipping a catch back to bowler Marnus Labuschagne. He scored at 7.8 runs per over in the first 30 balls of his innings.
In his century he began at 4.6 runs per over, increased to 7.6 in the next 30 balls, before finishing with a rate of nine runs per over.
Having arrived with the score 11-2, it helped him make a careful start before dominating the bowling in a chanceless 110 not out.
But while it felt like the breakout innings in the format from a man who has previously said, external he is trying to “figure out” the 50-over game at international level, Brook was keen to play down the difference.
“I was just trying to play the ball as late as possible and build a partnership with Jacksy [team-mate Will Jacks],” he said.
“I was knackered when I got out there after 50 overs in the field.”
Brook’s innings also put behind him a tricky run in the latter part of the summer.
Since scoring 109 in the second Test against West Indies he had reached 19 six times across formats for England but not scored more than 56.
He was criticised for the way he tried to toy with Sri Lanka’s bowlers in the third Test, some suggesting it was a sign of complacency.
“I feel I have been stop-start this summer, a lot of 30 and 40s, not managing to convert,” he said.
“I feel I am back in a good place, playing the ball late and with my head still.”
One of Brook’s great strengths is his simplicity at the crease. This was another clear reminder. – BBCSport
A.I
Sept. 25, 2025
Tags: Brook
