Former England cricketer Jonathan Agnew has heaped praise on flamboyant batter Harry Brook, calling him a rare talent and comparing him to the likes of Kevin Pietersen and David Gower.
However, Agnew remains unconvinced about Brook’s readiness to lead the side in Test cricket.
Brook dazzled with an impressive 91-run knock during the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley, helping England take a commanding position. At stumps on Day 2, the hosts held a 195-run lead over Pakistan.
“This should be a crucial moment in the career of Harry Brook. He will score a million runs if he keeps batting like this. It must be the blueprint for Brook across the rest of his Test career. Any frustration I have ever expressed towards Brook has never been personal, or because I did not rate him as a batsman,” Agnew said to the BBC.
“He is a very rare talent who ranks alongside the likes of Kevin Pietersen and David Gower as the most talented I have seen play for England. There have been times, like during his triple century against Pakistan in Multan, when I have sat and admired that talent. But in Australia, when he got out driving Scott Boland in Perth or swinging at Mitchell Starc in Brisbane, I feared he could waste what he has worked so hard to have,” he added.
Agnew acknowledged that Brook has proved himself as an able tactician and captain in white-ball cricket, but believes he has not shown the maturity required for the longer format.
“That role is about more than purely the decisions made on the field. It is about representing your country, and sometimes stepping up when needed to talk about difficult topics around the world. We have seen that in the episodes involving Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in the recent past. Brook has not shown he has the maturity to do that part of the job, meaning Joe Root was the only candidate. The hierarchy had no choice,” said Agnew.
Ball’s in Brook’s court
Agnew also argued that while Root was the only suitable candidate for the England Test captaincy, his second stint is unlikely to last long, possibly only until the end of next year’s Ashes. That, he said, leaves the door open for Brook to prove himself as the natural successor.
“But Root’s second stint is unlikely to last long, possibly only until the end of next year’s Ashes, and the ball is in Brook’s court to show before then that he is the best candidate next time around. Who knows, Jacob Bethell, who is highly rated as a leader, may have overtaken him by then but there is no reason Brook cannot be Test captain when Root leaves the role, especially if he is showing maturity through batting like this,” he said.