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 their first perfect Test summer for 20 years, but as if they were winding down on the last day of term.
In fairness, Brook still boasts a Test average of 55 — England's highest since Ken Barrington in the late 1960s — and a strike-rate of 87. These are ludicrous figures and they underline why he should not be selling himself short. Yet his scores in this series have left fans wanting more: 56, 32, 33, 37 and now 19.
Harry Brook has been batting restlessly recently and played his part in a careless moring He is a generational talent but has recently been selling himself short with his batting displays hHis scores in this series have left fans wanting more: 56, 32, 33, 37 and now 19 - he is better than that Once or twice, there has been little he could do. In the first innings at Old Trafford, he was bowled by a beauty from left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya. In the first at Lord's, he was pinned by a skilful nip-backer from Fernando, the series' leading wicket-taker.
Read More EXCLUSIVE Moeen Ali hopes England fans enjoyed watching him play as he speaks to Nasser Hussain on retirement But he was caught at deep midwicket in the second innings of that game and walked out to bat on the first afternoon here at the Oval as if determined to reach a century by stumps. He missed a wild swish at his second ball and was lucky to walk off with his wicket intact. England head coach Brendon McCullum used his pre-match press conference to explain a comment he had made after the tour of India.
The 'refinement' he had called for was not so much a plea for temperance as a request that England get better at seizing the moment. And when they resumed on Saturday on 221 for three, a score that ought to have demoralised Sri Lanka after they inserted England in seam-friendly conditions, the moment was there to be seized. Instead, Brook grasped at fresh air.
Kevin Pietersen used to get stick for protesting, after a rash dismissal, that it was 'the way I play', but Brook has not built his reputation on the recklessness he displayed here. Brook is not doing himself justice, and England will need him to be better when they go into the Ashes in 15 months Brook has often been bold and occasionally outrageous. The three centuries he made in Pakistan at the end of 2022 were the result of clinical, clean hitting, while his 186 off 176 balls at Wellington in early 2023 remains one of the most scintillating performances of the Bazball era.
But Brook is not doing himself justice at present and England will need him and Root to be at their best if they are to have any chance of reclaiming the urn in 15 months' time. Cameos are fun, but they will not win the Ashes. Virat Kohli Joe Root Ashes England Cricket Share or comment on this article: Careless Harry Brook is losing his way - cameos are fun, but they won't win England the Ashes, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH e-mail Add comment.
