3 positive signs from Harry Brook's captaincy so far in ENG vs AUS ODI series
Harry Brook was appointed England captain for the home ODI series against Australia after Jos Buttler's unavailability due to injury. The rising batter had led the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred 2024 successfully, only narrowly missing out on the knockout stage.
However, leading England is a completely different challenge, and with the maiden assignment being against arch-rivals Australia, it only escalates the difficulty of the task. To make matters worse, Brook had a rough start to his captaincy career, losing his first two matches to go 0-2 down in the five-match affair.
Apart from the results, he drew a lot of flak for his decision-making and comments off the field. Interim coach Marcus Trescothick stated that Brook made the wrong decision after winning the toss on his captaincy debut.
Additionally, Brook was criticised for his controversial comments after the defeat in the series opener, where he said: "If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field, then who cares?"
While he has come out to clarify that the comments have been perceived in the wrong sense, the damage to his reputation was done. However, Brook made a strong comeback.
Yes, there are still flaws to be ironed out and a lot to learn, but there are still several positives to be taken in the infancy stage of the youngster's captaincy. On that note, let us take a look at three positive signs from Harry Brook's captaincy so far in the ENG vs AUS ODI series.
#1 Bold and unafraid of taking risks
Brook has brought in a bold and unabashed approach as England look to overturn their plaguing white-ball fortunes. Given a free hand by the incumbent Jos Buttler to shape the side in any way, Brook has certainly steered towards a blend of conventional and unconventional.
One example of being unorthodox was evident during the third ODI in Durham. It was evident that England had to do something different to stop the budding third-wicket partnership between Steve Smith and Cameron Green. The latter was taking on the spinners, making life difficult for Bethell, Rashid and Jacks to operate in the middle overs.
To counter his onslaught, Brook set up a field initially with a silly mid-on, but converted it to a rather unorthodox mid-on, well inside of the circle though. The switch reaped rewards immediately as Bethell was able to tempt Green into stepping down and scoring down the ground.
Green, however, failed to elevate the shot over the fielder or down the ground. He found Will Jacks at the shortish mid-on to perfection. These little glimpses of brilliance rest Brook's case as a promising reader of the game, in turn helping his captaincy.
#2 Trusting the plan and backing his words
Brook has often landed in trouble over his bold remarks. Even before the series, not many were pleased with his comments where he mentioned that the players will look to entertain the fans and have fun in the process.
Despite the barrage of criticism, it has hardly affected Brook to implement the philosophy of his preference, or even re-think it. The approach has not resulted in faultless cricket, and it has hardly been a smooth process so far, but Brook's commitment has to be lauded.
Only a while ago, Ollie Pope's captaincy was ruthlessly attacked by pundits, with tags of 'timid' and 'insecure' being labelled constantly. Well, those adjectives can hardly be used for someone like Brook, who is bold and arguably relishes the prospect of proving the naysayers wrong by backing his approach till the end.
#3 Taking responsibility on and off the field
Brook's ODI career has certainly not paid justice to his undeniable talent. Prior to the series, he held an average of 29.07 after 15 appearances. Leadership has acted as a catalyst to his batting as the average has rocketed to 35, following a promising start in the series opener and an unbeaten match-winning hundred in Durham.
Even off the field, his mannerisms and post-match comments have been full of composure. He has been critical of his own shortcomings and has not been too overtly critical of his teammates, finding the right balance already.
He certainly oozes out dynamism as a leader, which the white-ball side have lacked for a while under the Buttler-Mott era. In the future, if Brook is viewed as the natural successor to Buttler, his combination with the incoming coach Brendon McCullum might prove to be a game-changer.