"He came straight in the dressing room and said sorry" - Harry Brooks recalls Ben Stokes' apology ahead of his Test debut
England's newest batting sensation, Harry Brook, recalled all-rounder Ben Stokes' apology in the dressing room for calling him 'dumb' on the eve of the youngster's Test debut. He also remembered Stokes' eagerness to get a result at The Oval.
Brook replaced Jonny Bairstow at The Oval against South Africa in the final Test of this year's home summer.
The right-handed batter earned his first Test cap on the back of some impressive performances in red-ball domestic cricket. However, he batted in just one innings, managing only 12 runs.
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According to The Telegraph, Stokes responded to platitudes about Brooks' talent by having a little laugh and saying, "He's a bit dumb".
Speaking to The Telegraph, the Yorkshire batter stated:
"He came straight in the dressing room and said sorry after he said that. I'm not very 'school-smart' but I would say I'm fairly cricket-smart. I'm streetwise but educationally? Nah, I'm not very good. I'm shocking at quizzes."
The youngster claimed that his Test debut was memorable and recollected how the team stuck to Stokes' goal of getting a result from a three-day Test.
"It was unbelievable - washed out first day, Queen died and then day off. I didn't think I was going to get to play, to be honest. Thought I would just get my cap and not play any cricket but it was a good week. The first thing Stokesy said was 'we are going to get a result out of this game'. We went out and there and did that."
England indeed secured a win within two and a half days, bowling South Africa out for 118 and 169. The hosts chased down 130 in the fourth innings with nine wickets to spare to cap off a memorable summer.
"I think the way England are trying to play suits me fairly well" - Harry Brook
The 23-year-old desires to have a long Test career and believes England's aggressive approach is in line with his own gameplay.
He added:
"I want to play Test cricket. I am still focused on Test cricket and want to have a long career in that and I think my game is set up for it. I've got a decent technique."
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He continued:
"I think the way England are trying to play suits me fairly well. I'm quite a positive batter, I try to put pressure on the bowling and I want to be a matchwinner."
Brook, who made his international debut in January 2022, sizzled in the third T20I against Pakistan in Karachi, scoring a 35-ball 81 and propelling England to 221. The tourists eventually won by 63 runs.