Harry Brook shows the gift and curse of his free-flowing knock as he flickered brightly to give England glimmer.
Harry Brook transcends brain rot (briefly) to give England glimmer.
Beyond a series of gasps, sighs, and wows interspersed with the odd FFS, how would you characterise the Harry Brook Experience?
On a day of brain rot-filled Test cricket, has anyone felt more at peace with their surroundings? The kind that leads you to believe that, considering that other formats do not allow as much room for this kind of foolishness, perhaps this one is the worst.
On the first day in Melbourne, all 20 wickets were taken, and Brook stood tallest with an innings of 41 that both made him vulnerable to criticism and might have kept this contest alive for England. Brook made the decision to make the most of his remaining time.
The knock itself was a sort of David Lynch masterpiece, scoring a third time over 40 this series. Self-contained, perplexing, perhaps a little garbage, but perhaps wonderful due to the environment in which it was made? It took 76.1 overs of nip and seam and a terrain of 10mm grass to devour and spit out both teams for just 266 runs.
Boxing Day is a time to relax and not rush things. However, Brook elected to follow the rhythm of a scoreboard that displayed 8 for 3 at the beginning of the fifth over, getting up from his seat to leave the MCG in front of a record-breaking crowd of over 94,000.
He charged when Mitchell Starc delivered his opening ball, trying to smash the red off the Kookaburra bowled into a length. Scott Boland’s delivery slithered in to dodge his final, studious block, clattering the knee roll and leaving England 66 for 5.
Vindication lay between those contrasted strokes. The other two attempts at the first shot ended in boundaries: Starc pumped into the stands over a straight extra cover, while Michael Neser scythed wide of a gully. Despite Carey’s sleekness up close at Adelaide Oval last week, Neser and Boland were sufficiently put off to express uncertainty about whether or not they wanted Carey up to the stumps.
There was strategy used throughout, despite all the pearl clutching that occurred when Brook turned a bouncer over his shoulder and pounded a length ball from Neser across the line.
The parallels between this and the first day of the first Test in Perth provide insight into the realities and willingness to condemn Brook’s methodology.
The Test vice-captain then hit 52 off 61 on a 19-wicket first day, coupled with another Root duck, which put England ahead by 40 runs. They folded dramatically on day two, unable to cash that in.
With Australia leading 46 at the start of their second innings on day two, the shoe is suddenly on the other foot. But in this crapshoot, Brook’s runs seem more significant.
Brook will find it maddening because every moment of brilliance—this wasn’t even the first time he’s charged and hit Starc over extra cover this series—brings with it a natural desire for more. both now and in the future. but also disappointment with the recent past. The failed reverse-sweep in Adelaide and the attempted blaze off Starc in Brisbane were pivotal moments in a live series that Brook will never forget.
England have not done any of that on this tour. Given the state of play in Melbourne, that wait looks set to go on. Brook, of course, has one more say in the matter.