"Just like saying Sachin shouldn't get into India's ODI squad because he is too young"- Mark Butcher baffled with Harry Brook's World Cup snub
Former England cricketer Mark Butcher was surprised to see Harry Brook miss out on the ODI World Cup provisional squad and gave an analogy relating to Indian cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar.
Tendulkar made his India debut in 1989 against Pakistan when he was just 16 years of age and Butcher used this example to claim that Brook by no means should have been dropped due to inexperience.
Speaking to Wisden Cricket, here's what Mark Butcher had to say about Harry Brook:
"He (Brook) is so good that regardless of how much or how little ODI cricket he has played, he might not take too long to get to speed. This is just like saying Sachin shouldn't get into India's ODI squad because he is too young back in the day."
Butcher further claimed that he couldn't find any apt reasoning behind Brook's absence from the World Cup provisional squad. He added:
"I don't see it really (on Brook's snub). Malan and Roy, the two specialist batters beyond achievements in the past that have been stellar, haven't shown any form going into it (World Cup). Brook is so startlingly good that someone of his ability should have found a way in place of one of those two guys."
Didn't see Ben Stokes comeback happen at expense of Harry Brook: Mark Butcher
Mark Butcher feels that Harry Brook could have perhaps replaced Dawid Malan in the World Cup squad. He shed light on how poor Malan's form has been of late and claimed that he was surprised to see Brook make way for Ben Stokes' return to ODIs.
On this, he stated:
"Showing Malan and telling that we need a left hander in top order is all well and good. But then not showing any form whatsoever, he might as well bat right-handed (laughs). Stokes getting selected is not a surprise to me, but I didn't see it coming at the expense of Harry Brook."
There is still time for England to make changes to their provisional World Cup squad and Brook might just get back into the scheme of things if he continues his red-hot form in The Hundred.