3 reasons why Harry Brook is the next big batting superstar in the making
Harry Brook is celebrating his 24th birthday on Wednesday, February 22. The young England batter has made a name for himself with his fantastic batting performances at the international level.
He is just 24, but Brook is already a T20 World Cup winner and a winning member of the English Test squad that whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 on their home soil.
Shedding some light on his numbers so far, Brook has played five Tests, three ODIs, and 20 T20Is. He made his international debut in a T20I against the West Indies last year. Since then, he has been a regular member of the England team.
Many fans rate him highly because of his talent. On the occasion of his 24th birthday, let's look at three reasons why Harry Brook is the next batting superstar in the making.
#1 Harry Brook has achieved success in Tests and T20Is
Very few batters in the modern era can score runs consistently in both Tests and T20I matches, and Harry Brook is one of them. He has already proved himself to be a game-changer in Test cricket, aggregating 623 runs in just five Tests at a strike rate of more than 95.
In T20I cricket, Brook has scored 372 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 137. His intent and aggressive approach has helped him get the better of the bowlers. Brook is among the few batters who can score runs at a strike rate of more than 90 in Test cricket and still record big scores.
For the record, the right-handed batter has registered three tons and as many half-centuries in Test cricket. He also has 10 first-class hundreds to his name, which highlights his dominance in red-ball cricket.
#2 IPL franchises are ready to spend big on him even though he is yet to play in India
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have the best talent scouts in the world. If an IPL franchise bids big for a player at an auction, it means that he is a special talent.
In the recently concluded IPL 2023 mini-auction in December last year, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had an intense bidding war to sign the youngster. Eventually, SRH signed him for ₹13.25 crore.
Brook has never played a match in India before. Still, IPL teams showed enormous interest in him, highlighting his talent and potential.
#3 His captain is one of his biggest fans
It is rare to see a team captain become a fan of one of the team's youngsters and publicly claim that he can break his own records, but Harry Brook has made Ben Stokes his fan with his stupendous performances.
The England Test skipper recently predicted that Brook will break his record for the most sixes by a batter in Test cricket. Stokes also compared him to Virat Kohli and said in a chat with Sky Sports:
“He's one of those rare players that you look across all formats and you can just see him being successful everywhere. It's a massive shout, but Virat Kohli is one of those guys where his technique is just so simple and works everywhere."
When a player like Stokes says such things about a 24-year-old guy, it shows that Harry Brook is ready to take over world cricket.