"I thought Jonny held the record" - Harry Brook claims he targetted England's fastest Test hundred in Rawalpindi
England middle-order batter Harry Brook admitted that he chased the record for the fastest Test hundred by an English batter in the second innings against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Brook conceded that he thought Jonny Bairstow's held the record, having brought it up in 77 deliveries.
The Yorkshire batter top-scored in the first innings of the opening Test in Rawalpindi with a knock of 153. He fell 13 runs short of a century in the second. Brook's first-innings ton also came off 80 deliveries, falling short of Gilbert Jessop's for England, having scored it in 77 balls in 1902.
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Speaking to Michael Atherton on Sky Sports, the youngster said:
"I was going for it second innings! I didn't know the record was that long ago. I thought Jonny (Bairstow) held the record."
Reflecting on Ben Stokes' and Brendon McCullum's aggressive philosophy, the 23-year-old said he has the license to play however he wants. The right-handed batter further thinks only an attacking mindset has helped England win in Rawalpindi.
"It feels like you can go out and do whatever you want. If I want to reverse sweep first ball, I have licence almost. You feel like you can do anything. The captain is leading from the front. His first innings was unbelievable. He only got 41 but he scored at a strike-rate of 227. If we didn't bat like we did in that first innings, we would have had no chance of winning the game."
The tourists maintained a run rate of 6.50 and 7.36 in the first and second innings, respectively, scoring 921 runs 136.5 overs. However, it was Stokes' bold declaration on day four that set the foundation for a famous win on the final day.
"I still think Test cricket is the best format" - Harry Brook
Despite the influx of T20 leagues, Brook remains committed to Test cricket. The youngster feels the joy in grafting for five days for a hard-fought win, adding:
"I think in the future we are going to see more people at a younger age sack off red-ball cricket - I reckon there are going to be a lot of white-ball contracts soon. I am probably not going to be one of them. I still think Test cricket is the best format.
"I still think Test cricket is the pinnacle and I am still striving to play it as long as possible. That win last week was unbelievable. There is no better feeling in cricket. You have grafted for five days and it doesn't feel like you are going to win until you are there."
England will look to seal the series in the second Test in Multan, starting on Friday (December 9).