"I don’t see anything happening any time soon" - Harry Brook dismisses England white-ball captaincy speculations
England batter Harry Brook played down speculations around him becoming the team's next white-ball captain. The 25-year-old is set to lead the Northern SuperChargers in The Hundred after missing the first few games due to the England-West Indies third Test.
Meanwhile, England's cricket director Rob Key has reportedly spoken with current white-ball skipper Jos Buttler regarding the leadership role and the side's future. This comes after their dismal showing in last year's ODI World Cup and the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
England won only three out of nine games to miss the semi-final in the 50-over World Cup and were thrashed by eventual champions India in the T20 World Cup semi-final.
Speaking to reporters on becoming England's next white-ball captain, Brook was quoted as saying by BBC:
"Wow. That’s way above my pay grade. I don’t know. This is my first captaincy role with the Superchargers, so we’ll see how that goes and then maybe I’ll have a different answer for you in a couple of months. For now, I don’t see anything happening any time soon. So I’ll just stay in the moment and focus on Test cricket."
"Fred [Flintoff] just asked me if I wanted to be captain [in the Hundred], he thought I’d do a decent job. So we’ll see how we go. I miss the first couple of games but I think I’ll be a fairly chilled captain. We’ve said all training will be optional. There’ll be nothing put on you as a player; just be chilled, relaxed, Go out there and express yourself and play," he added.
Brook has played 39 T20Is and 15 ODIs thus far for England, scoring 1,114 runs with six half-centuries.
"Test cricket is my priority" - Harry Brook
Harry Brook maintained that Test cricket remained his top priority even as he continues to evolve as an all-format batter.
The youngster boasts an incredible red-ball record with an average of 62.54, including five centuries, in 14 Tests.
"I want to play every Test match I can for England. "Test cricket is my priority. I don't want to think too far ahead. The Ashes is a long way away and we have a lot of Test cricket before then. My main focus is to stay in the moment and not get ahead of myself," Brook told reporters via BBC.
Brook scored his first home century in England's series-clinching win over the West Indies in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
The hosts will aim for a 3-0 whitewash in the series finale at Edgbaston, starting on Friday, July 26.