Former England captain Ben Stokes has hailed his successor Harry Brook as an “absolute freak” after a brilliant 42-ball century against Sri Lanka.
Brook finished unbeaten on 114 from 49 balls to pave the way for a 119-run victory in the Vitality T20 series opener in Southampton.
He shared a 128-run second-wicket partnership with Jos Buttler and made 30 in the fifth over alone, clubbing three sixes and three fours off Dunith Wellalage.
Brook’s century was his first in 18 international innings in all formats – since the World Cup win against Pakistan in February, with six half-centuries in the meantime – and England’s joint second-fastest in T20.
Stokes, watching on TV, posted a glowing review on social media: “I don’t even think the genius of KP (Kevin Pietersen) could come close to what Harry Brook has talent-wise.
“You are an absolute freak, Harry. You’re mint to watch.”
Pietersen watched Brook’s exploits from the balcony at the Utilita Bowl on his return to the England set-up in a mentoring role with the white-ball side.
“Obviously we haven’t had too much time together so far but he’s a great figure to have in the changing room; the type of player he was, he looked at batting slightly differently, in a similar way to me as well,” Brook said of Pietersen.
“He always wants to try and look to put the bowlers under pressure, and I’m looking forward to working with him a lot more.”
Pietersen is regarded as one of England’s greatest batters of the 21st century. The 46-year-old was brought into camp by white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum in the build-up to next year’s 50-over World Cup.
“I was actually watching his highlights earlier, funnily enough,” said Brook. “He was a phenomenal player. The way he accessed different areas of the ground made it really tricky to captain and bowl to, and I’m looking forward to having a lot of conversations about that.
“I mentioned it to him earlier, and him trying to help me in reading different surfaces and using my skills to performing on that pitch as well.
“That’s not just for white-ball cricket, that’s for Test cricket as well. Hopefully he can have a big impact on my career.
“He’s a hero to a lot of players in that changing room. We all grew up watching him and admiring his work and it’s just awesome to have a man of his calibre in the changing room.”
Opener Buttler crunched 80 off 44 balls before Hampshire bowler Sonny Baker took three for 12 on his home ground as Sri Lanka were restricted to 135 all out.
“I feel like I’ve been there or thereabouts all summer, in all three formats,” said Brook. “I feel like I’ve let myself down a couple of times – I’ve had the opportunity to score a big score.
“Thankfully I didn’t give that opportunity up today and it was nice to get to three figures and it was a special feeling.”