Harry Brook has had an odd three Test matches. He could have easily made a pair at Headingley, but instead he made 99 and a duck. Jasprit Bumrah bounced him out on the final over of the day after he was on 0 in the first innings, but a no-ball saved him. Even after being dropped later, he still failed miserably at home. He lasted exactly one delivery in the second innings.
Then came Birmingham, who, despite hand cramps, pulled England from 84 for 5 with a spectacular century in a 303-run partnership with Jamie Smith. It served as a reminder of why he is regarded as England’s best batsman of the future. He momentarily rose to the top of the ICC rankings as a result. However, the volatility reappeared at Lord’s. When he came over to sweep Akash Deep and missed a half-volley on Day 4, his stumps were rocked twice, the second time just before lunch. On commentary, Kumar Sangakkara delivered a brutal conclusion: “That’s not Bazball. That is haughtiness.
Three tests. Three bowled, three outs to nip-backers, 158, and 99. Thus far, England’s most promising player has experienced highs, lows, and a good deal of luck, much like a lottery series.
The irony is that Brook has never truly been the result of chance. If anything, mentors, coaches, and professors were always willing to take a risk on him. The odds were taken seriously and were recognized early.
Daniel Speight, Brook’s cricket coach at Sedbergh School, who is still close to Brook now, was so confident in his future that he informed Mark Shopland, the school’s hockey coach, that Brook would play for England someday when he was 14. Shopland entered a bookmaker’s office and bet 100 pounds at odds of 100 to 1. That ticket was returned with ten thousand pounds when Brook received his England cap. In an interview with Cricbuzz, Speight jokes, “Mark still owes me a bottle of red wine by the way,” while talking about his brightest ward.
It was only the early identification of a unique gift, never blind faith. On Speight’s advice, Brook was awarded a bursary to complete his education due to his ability as a cricket player. He advanced through the age categories in England. Additionally, he achieved three fifties and four hundreds in his first six Test matches with the senior squad. Everything was there: the timing, the strength, and the elegance.
The scrutiny is now as well.
Because Brook hasn’t exactly looked like the hitter who has been almost faultless in his quick ascent, even when the runs have come—he is currently England’s second-highest run-getter in the series. Premeditation has increased, gestures have increased, and flow has decreased. Perhaps the shot of the series thus far, he danced down the track to Bumrah in Leeds and lifted him over extra cover. It felt startlingly aggressive at the innings’ stage. He bowled after playing two scoops against Akash Deep at Lord’s and then planning a sweep even though Shubman Gill had put a really fine leg. It was odd since he hit an almost identical delivery from Nitish Reddy through mid-wicket for four right before he was dismissed.
And one of Speight’s favorite anecdotes comes here in a really intriguing way. “What always brought a smile to my face when Harry bats is that it wouldn’t matter if you saw a highlight reel of him and mixed it up. He really doesn’t play any differently whether it’s ball 80 or ball 1. He will drive the first ball if it is available.
“He didn’t hit the ball in the air, he didn’t get out. He didn’t play any ball other than how it was meant to be played. So if he needed to play a forward defence, he played a forward defence. A lot of players, a lot of kids especially, bat for 10 minutes, look good in the nets, and then get bored, they start trying funky things, stop concentrating. Harry just batted for an hour, same ball-by-ball concentration, and would do the same again the next day.”
Brook has long been known for such unflinching clarity. Perhaps the McCullum-Stokes era’s tendency to keep punching and counterattacking is a contributing factor in some of the premeditation that occurs now. However, there have been times in this series when intent has dissolved into odd impulse, even for someone wired to attack. Research on India’s bowling to him has been thorough. They have used nip-backers to target his off-stump after observing him set up on it and going farther outside with a trigger. There might have been some technical lapses, and they might have also pushed him in the direction of premeditation.
Brook has already been had to tread that line. He had a difficult year in 2019 following a successful Under-19 World Cup in 2018. After a game at New Road, where his setup and alignment were disorganized and his decision-making was lacking, he was dismissed from Yorkshire’s first team. With Harry’s mindset, he would make wise choices if he knew everything. He was well-positioned from the beginning and would be well-aligned and balanced. However, Speight claims that he would make bad choices as soon as it started to go wrong and kept going wrong.
Technically and mentally, Brook eventually worked things out and climbed back, stronger than before the stumble. The legendary Joe Root of Yorkshire and England “convinced him that he had to change and needed to develop” after they rode a bus together. For young batters, particularly those who are supposed to lead from the front, it’s a familiar arc. However, expecting people to stay the same over time is also unjust. As they develop, players alter. Even obsessive personalities change with time.
Speight claims that Brook used to be the most reserved boy at school. “He didn’t say much. kept to himself and only gave cricket any thought. He didn’t find any humor in anything. There was a solemn, straight-faced, tunnel-vision aspect to everything. Nevertheless, he spent almost every over at Lord’s, on the last day of a high-stress finish, chirping away at India’s young all-rounder Nitish Reddy, reminding him repeatedly that his IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad was ended. It was steady, light, and cheeky. A Brook who might have taken his former professors by surprise.
Now there’s an almost mischievous assurance. He’s leaning into the England setup rather than merely fitting in. Like a lot of people on this club, he’s content to ride the highs and lows and then bounce back. Perhaps the most obvious example of evolution is the change from the youngster who hardly talked to the batter who now chirps with shots and sledges.
And that makes England pleased. There are still two Tests left for Brook. It won’t be shocking if he cashes in when the pot is at its highest if this has been his lottery pattern.
