"Couldn’t envisage a squad without Harry Brook" - Michael Atherton stresses on youngster's inclusion for 2023 World Cup
Former England captain Michael Atherton stated that Harry Brook remains undroppable and that he wouldn't imagine their World Cup squad without him. However, Atherton feels Brook has become a victim of not playing too many one-dayers and getting caught up between Test and franchise cricket.
With gun all-rounder Ben Stokes reversing his ODI retirement ahead of the 2023 World Cup, the selectors left out the right-hander from the provisional squad. The Yorkshire batter, notably, has played only 3 ODIs so far, scoring 86 runs at 28.66 with a solitary fifty. However, he has been in red-hot form in T20 cricket, smashing 43* and 67 in the last two matches against New Zealand.
On Brook's exclusion from England's squad for the 2023 World Cup, Atherton said the youngster is an 'exceptional talent' but understands the circumstances due to which he missed out. As quoted by Wisden, the cricketer-turned-commentator remarked:
"Like many people, I was surprised when he was left out. I couldn’t envisage a squad without Harry Brook actually, I think he’s an exceptional talent. Trying to understand the reason England have not picked him, it’s obviously a consequence of [Ben] Stokes’ return and the balance of the side – maybe his IPL form counted against him, he wasn’t particularly good apart from one hundred – and obviously the schedule has counted against him. If you’re an all-format player and you’re playing Test cricket and you’re playing in the IPL and the Hundred, you just don’t play many fifty-over games."
The 24-year-old fetched a whopping 13.25 crores from the SunRisers Hyderabad in the auction ahead of IPL 2023. However, he couldn't live up to the expectations, managing only 190 runs in 11 matches at 21.11.
"I can understand why they haven’t picked him" - Simon Duoll on Harry Brook
Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull made a bold call suggesting that he would drop Jason Roy to fit Harry Brook in the 15-man England squad for the World Cup. He opined:
"I can understand why they haven’t picked him. Would he be in my 15? Absolutely. They’re looking at loyalty, so I get why they’ve done it, but he would be in my side. If he was in my side I’d leave Jason Roy out of it. I don’t like to hear people say he should be there without a reason or someone that they’re going to drop. You can’t just say he must be in the side and not leave someone out so, you’ve got to name who you’re leaving out as well."
England's 2023 World Cup campaign begins with facing New Zealand on October 5 in Ahmedabad.