Careless Harry Brook is losing his way - cameos are fun, but they won't win England the Ashes, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH

Careless Harry Brook is losing his way - cameos are fun, but they won't win England the Ashes, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH There has been a recent restlessness to Brook's batting after a sensational run He is a generational talent, but he is starting to sell himself short as a player England need him back to his best if they are to regain the Ashes urn down under By Lawrence Booth Published: 17:53 EDT, 7 September 2024 | Updated: 17:53 EDT, 7 September 2024 e-mail View comments Harry Brook had reached 12 on the second morning of the third Test when he sashayed down the track to Milan Rathnayake, slashed hard and high towards deep point, and looked on helplessly as Asitha Fernando readied himself for the catch. When Fernando dropped it the Oval settled back in the expectation of watching Brook make Sri Lanka pay. Even the Sri Lankans might have feared the worst.

But there's been a restlessness to his batting in this series and it's frustrating spectators as much as it ought to be frustrating Brook. Of his ability, there is no doubt. He is a generational talent, perhaps more gifted than even Joe Root .

Only two years into his Test career, he is fifth in the rankings, ahead of Virat Kohli . And yet seven runs after his reprieve, Brook tried to larrup Rathnayake on the up through the covers and succeeded only in picking out Kamindu Mendis. Beautifully struck, the shot was poorly conceived and set the tone for a careless morning in which England batted not like a team trying to secure t.