Odds on Harry Brook, the sure bet who is rolling the dice
It’s been a curious three Tests for Harry Brook. At Headingley, he made 99 and a duck, but it could so easily have been a pair. On 0 in the first innings, he was bounced out by Jasprit Bumrah in the last over of the day, only to be reprieved by a no-ball. He was dropped later too, and still fell one short of a hundred at home. In the second innings, he lasted exactly one delivery.
Then came Birmingham: a statement hundred in a 303-run stand with Jamie Smith, dragging England from 84 for 5, even as hand cramps kicked in. It was a reminder of why he’s seen as the crown jewel of England’s next-gen batting. It briefly lifted him to No.1 in the ICC rankings. But at Lord’s, the volatility returned. Twice his stumps were rattled, the second time, just before Lunch on Day 4, as he walked across to sweep Akash Deep and missed a half-volley. Kumar Sangakkara, on commentary, offered a ruthless verdict: “That’s not Bazball. That’s arrogance.”
Three Tests. A 158, a 99, thrice bowled and thrice out to nip-backers. It would seem like England’s brightest prospect has had a bit of a lottery series so far: highs, lows, and a fair bit of luck.
It’s funny, because Brook has never really been a product of chance. If anything, there were always people eager to take a chance on him: teachers, coaches, mentors. The odds were seen early and taken seriously.
When Brook was 14, Daniel Speight, his cricket coach at Sedbergh School and still part of his inner circle today, was so convinced of his future that he told the school’s hockey coach, Mark Shopland, that the boy would one day play for England. Shopland walked into a bookmaker’s and placed a 100 pound bet at 100-to-1 odds. When Brook got his England cap, that ticket returned 10,000 pounds. “Mark still owes me a bottle of red wine by the way,” Speight chuckles as he discusses his brightest ward in a chat with Cricbuzz.
It was never blind faith, just early recognition of a special talent. Brook earned a bursary on Speight’s recommendation to continue his schooling because of his cricketing potential. He rose through the England age groups. And once in the senior side, he scored four hundreds and three fifties in his first six Tests. The elegance, the power, the tempo, it was all there.
So too, now, is the scrutiny.
Because even when the runs have come – he’s England’s second-highest run-getter in the series – Brook hasn’t quite looked like the same batter who has been near-flawless in his rapid rise. There’s been more premeditation, more gesture, less flow. In Leeds, he danced down the track to Bumrah and lifted him over extra cover, possibly the shot of the series so far, but one that felt jarringly aggressive for the stage of the innings. At Lord’s, he played a pair of scoops against Akash Deep, then premeditated a sweep despite Shubman Gill placing a very fine fine leg, and was bowled. It was curious because just before his dismissal, he flicked a near-identical delivery from Nitish Reddy through mid-wicket for four.
