Pak vs Eng – Harry Brook is looking for a strong response after a rare outing in Pakistan

0 0 3 minutes read

Pak vs Eng – Harry Brook is looking for a strong response after a rare outing in Pakistan

Pakistan’s national statistics office held its first ‘Data-Fest’ conference this week, 10 minutes from the England Hotel in Islamabad. Under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, this England set-up has shown little interest in numbers but there is one stat that stands out ahead of their series decider in nearby Rawalpindi: 101.25, Harry Brook’s batting average in Pakistan.

It’s been two years since Brook announced himself as a Test cricketer with a formidable hundred girl in Rawalpindi. He was England’s fourth captain as they amassed 506 for 4 on the first day of the series against Pakistan, ending up with 153 from 116 balls on the second morning after plundering 27 off Zahid Mahmood’s over.

He followed that innings with subsequent hundreds in England’s victories in Multan and Karachi, an extension of good form in Pakistan that began with a century in the 2022 PSL and continued with a successful T20I series. Not since Kevin Pietersen’s knock have England made such a good start to their Test career.

Brook started the series with 317 against Multan on his return this month, the biggest innings in England in 34 years. But more than 500km away in Peshawar, Sajid Khan was watching near the TV, and noticed Brook hanging back against the spin. When he was called up for the second Test, Sajid made a plan to turn the ball out hard.

“There was a small stain on the outside of the stump,” Sajid explained. “When he faced his first ball, I told Rizi bye [Mohammad Rizwan] that if he plays like this again, I’ll get him out.” Brook backed off as Sajid had predicted, looking to punch through cover, but was hit inside his edge as the ball landed and his leg stump bounced back.

Brook was out at the back again in England’s second innings, this time to left-armer Noman Ali. He stayed in his depth on a full ball, looking to swing it over midwicket, but was deceived by the low bounce and was trapped lbw. With scores of 9 and 16, this was Brook’s least successful Test against Pakistan: his first not out, and his first defeat.

Brendon McCullum, the England coach, was on board after the second Test when he heard that Sajid was revealing his plans to Brook. “He bowls well,” McCullum said. “He’s an exciting cricketer, and he’s a big player for us, and he tries to put pressure on the opposition… Sometimes, when you do that, you make mistakes and you’re out.”

One quiet Test after three hundreds is not enough to inform any long-term worries, but Brook said on Tuesday he was discussing game plans against Sajid and Noman ahead of this week’s decision. “It’s clear that both of them will play a big role in their team,” he said. “Hopefully, it pays off and I play a big role in the game.”

Brook agreed with Sajid’s assessment of his penchant for playing in the background. “I love you,” she said. “It gives you more time to play spin. It gives you different places to play. I’m not saying I won’t do that: I’ll look to play on the back foot, and I’ll look to put him under pressure.”

It’s hardly a problem that has plagued him in his scouting career: so far, Brook rates more with spin (67.81) than seam (57.70). But the reason why his twin failed miserably was that, having missed England’s tour to India on compassionate leave, he was playing for the first time in a field heavily weighted in favor of bowlers.

England held a six-ball tournament ahead of their final practice session in Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning, with Brook finishing second to Rehan Ahmed. Stokes said the aim was to provide a “good shake-up” after three weeks locked out of two hotels and two stadiums, but it was also a reminder of Brook’s destructive power.

It is easy to forget that Brook has only played 20 Tests, it was the speed at which he changed the entire England team. He has a stellar track record, a shade under 60, but remains a work in progress. “He’s a kid in the grand scheme of things,” said Jason Gillespie, the Pakistan coach. “He will fix things in every situation: good players tend to do that.”

It’s been a long season for Brook: since the start of April, he’s been more or less restless, with 35 appearances in all formats including eight Tests, five ODIs as acting captain, and a T20 World Cup. Thursday’s Rawalpindi Test will finally come to an end, even if it will get a short break before England travel to New Zealand.

As a three-form player, Brook is getting used to the relentlessness of the international schedule and will soon get used to opponents targeting what they see as potential weaknesses. If he can overcome both pitfalls and maintain his impressive three-figure average in Pakistan, it will go a long way towards England topping the series.

Source link

Admin 6 hours ago

0 0 3 minutes read