Harry Brook, the England vice-captain, has said next month’s Ashes series will be a step into the unknown as he looks to correct a poor record in Australia.
Brook sets off for New Zealand on Friday as captain of England’s T20 squad at the start of an epic winter that includes the Ashes, which begin in Perth on November 21.
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Brook will head to Australia as the world’s No 2-ranked batsman, behind only his Yorkshire team-mate Joe Root. He admits the news that the great Australian quick Pat Cummins will miss at least the first Test could “play into our hands”, but cautioned against taking any understudy lightly.
Brook will be glad not to face Pat Cummins in the first Test in Perth – Getty Images/Stu Forster
“He is an amazing bowler and has been for years; he bowls at high pace with high skill,” Brook said at the PCA Awards. “With him out of their side for the first game that we’ve seen, hopefully that plays into our hands. But they have a hell of a lot of good bowlers, quick bowlers out there. They have guys who can come into the side and, when their tails are up, they can plough through teams, so we can’t take anybody lightly.”
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Brook averages 57.6 in Test cricket, but enjoyed little success on his trips to Australia early in his career. A season with Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash four years ago yielded just 44 runs in seven innings, while in nine T20 internationals Down Under in 2022 he averages under 10.
Fortunately, he views “white-ball and red-ball as completely different sports”, but says the experience of an Ashes series in Australia, and everything that comes with it, will represent a step into the unknown, even for a seasoned international.
Brook scored just 44 runs for the Hobart Hurricanes during the 2022 Big Bash – Getty Images/Steve Bell
“I did the Big Bash and did horrendously out there, so I’m trying to erase that from my memory,” he said. “I’ll work hard, train hard and see where I land. We don’t know what the surfaces are going to be like; we’ll get out there, be where our feet are and play the man.
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“I don’t know what I’m stepping into. I know it’s a massive thing [the Ashes], but I’m still trying to get over that India series. That was awesome to be part of; to play 25 days out of 25 was mega. That was the most intense series I’ve ever been part of. If the Ashes tops that, I will be a very happy man.
“I can’t even remember much about the 2023 Ashes, if I’m honest. It’s a very similar group of players that we’ll come up against: a very strong bowling attack and on home soil they’ll present different challenges. I haven’t had too much experience of the pitches out there, so I have to stay in the moment as much as possible and play what’s in front of me.”
Brook received a call from Brendon McCullum, the head coach, informing him that he would be vice-captain in Australia. He has exchanged messages with the man he replaced in the role, Ollie Pope, but does not expect to be called upon to lead the side, instead backing Ben Stokes to play all five Tests.
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Brook has exchanged messages with Ollie Pope after replacing him as Test vice-captain – Getty Images/Stu Forster
“It’s an honour to have any leadership role,” he said. “It’s not something I’m biting at the bit to do; I see Stokesy playing all five Tests. He’ll power through, even if he has a little niggle.
“Not really [thought about it], because I have full faith that he is going to be there. Everybody in the world knows what he’s like, his character and the way he just cracks on. That is the way the team is built now; everybody keeps going. If you do have a little niggle, just power through – and that is what he does so well.
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“It would be a massive honour [to captain the side], but I would much rather Stokesy played five Tests; he’s such a vital part of our team, batting at No 6 and bowling the overs he does, and the way he fields, sprints around and the way he leads. For him to play all five Tests would be awesome for us.”
Brook said Stokes has asked his team-mates to step in if he is shouldering too great a bowling workload. After major knee and hamstring issues, the 34-year-old captain suffered a shoulder injury that ruled him out of the final Test against India last summer.
“There are people off the pitch as well to help with that side of things, but he told us last year as a group that if he gets into a position like that again, go up and have a word with him,” he said. “Because he wants to bowl long spells, that can sometimes be to his detriment.”
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