Brook’s counterattack comes a cropper with poor choice of shot as the number 1 test batsman saw his stumps splatter.
Harry Brook’s counterattack ended prematurely as he picked the wrong option at a key moment.
The sublime comes first, followed by the absurd. As England counterattacked before lunch, Harry Brook had Lord’s purring as he scooped Akash Deep over fine leg for consecutive fours and then dropped him over long-off for six. The answer was startled silence when he was bowled around his legs attempting to sweep an 86-mph half-volley and lost his middle stump two overs later.
It was a remarkable theatrical segment that encapsulated Brook’s series. With an average of 52.33, he is the second-highest run scorer in England. He had spectacular, commanding innings at Headingley (99) and Edgbaston (158). He was able to surpass his teammate and fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root to take the top spot in the ICC’s Test batting rankings this week.
However, Brook has also been annoying. He was reprieved by a front-foot no-ball after pulling Jasprit Bumrah to short midwicket in the day’s last over before he had registered a run in the series. He tossed his head back in exasperation after pulling a short ball straight to long leg on 99 at Headingley. “Arrogant” is how Kumar Sangakkara characterised his shot selection at Lord’s.
Essentially, Brook’s approach to batting is straightforward: “I like to hit the ball where the fielders aren’t,” he has stated. The shot was always dangerous if there was any logic to it since he had less leeway to make a mistake if the bounce was changeable when he played cross-batted. And vulnerable to a ball as full – and fast – as the one Akash Deep delivered.
The fact that Brook had worked a very identical ball through wide mid-on for an easy, low-risk boundary between Akash Deep’s two overs was the most annoying aspect of his dismissal. He demonstrated that there was another method when he faced Nitish Kumar Reddy and used a straight bat to flick a similar straight half-volley into the leg side with a simple wrist roll.
It makes sense that Brook’s favourite England batter to watch as a child was Kevin Pietersen. When they are at their best, they are so amazing that it is frustrating when they don’t perform up to par.
It’s also worthwhile to consider how excellent Brook has proven to be. His average of 57.67 places him comfortably between Wally Hammond and Jack Hobbs in England’s all-time list. He is only 26 years old and has already achieved nine Test hundreds, one per 5.2 innings. No one in Test history has scored as many runs so rapidly as he has, all while maintaining a strike rate of 87.
However, his firing on Sunday served as a sobering reminder that Brook is still learning the ropes and that his aggressive style would require patience throughout his England career. This was a wasted opportunity for him to demonstrate that he is so much more than a flat-track bully.