Before the Super 8 game against Pakistan, England captain Harry Brook was content with his batting position at number five.
In the game against Pakistan on Tuesday, Phil Salt was sent back to the pavilion for a first-ball duck. After that, Harry Brook came out to bat at number 3. It set something in motion that culminated in one of the finest white-ball innings.
He smashed a match-winning hundred against Pakistan after being moved up the order to number three. However, the English captain is unsure whether he will continue to bat at number three or go back to his regular spot, number five.
Chasing a moderate 165 against Pakistan, England lost both of their openers inside three overs and slumped to 58-4 in the 8th over. However, Brook stood firm and made his maiden century in the T20I cricket to set up their two-wicket victory. It was a tricky chase, and Brook rescued England to book a berth in the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
After the game, Brook said that it was head coach, Brandon ‘Baz’ McCullum’s idea to promote him up the order. He said, “Baz is the mastermind there.”
“He had a discussion with me this morning about going up the order and trying to maximise the powerplay, and thankfully it paid off.”
Despite succeeding at number, Brook is unsure if he would continue to bat at that number. He said, “I don’t know. That’s something for me and Baz to chat about.”
“The longer I bat, the better it is for me. It’s a lot easier facing their best bowlers through the middle period when you’re already set.”
England’s white-ball captain endured a tough time since the news of his altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand. So, this century knock comes at a great time and feels special for him.
He said, “It’s probably been the hardest winter of my life, to be honest. There’s been a lot of stuff behind the scenes as well as not behind the scenes, but yes, it’s just nice to see some rewards from my hard work away from the ground.”
Even the best opposition bowler, Shahin Afridi, praised Brook’s knock in the game. Afridi said that the batter played proper cricketing shots to reach his century.
Afridi said, “I think this is the best innings of his life.”
“The wicket was not easy. If we look at other batsmen, they were all struggling.”
