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The race for England’s Test captaincy has become one of the biggest talking points after Ben Stokes retired from international cricket. Many believe that Harry Brook is a strong contender to become England’s next Test captain. Amid the buzz, Harry Brook has revealed about an important decision that surprised many during the recent three-match Test series against New Zealand.
When Ben Stokes was unavailable for the second Test at the Oval, many expected vice-captain Brook to lead the team against New Zealand. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) turned to former captain and senior batsman Joe Root to lead the team instead of the white-ball captain.
ECB chose Joe Root before Harry Brook
The ECB was forced to take this decision after Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were dropped due to disciplinary investigation following the nightclub incident in London. With Stokes unavailable, Joe Root took charge for the Test at the Oval.
He also scored a brilliant century but could not lead the team to victory and New Zealand won the second Test at the Oval by 253 runs. Later, they also won the final Test to take the series 2–1.
Even though Brook is already leading England’s white-ball teams and is seen as a strong candidate for the Test captaincy, he has no complaints with the ECB’s decision.
Harry Brook supported ECB’s decision and praised Joe Root
Ahead of England’s white-ball series against India, Brook said Root was the right choice because of his experience and everything he has done for England cricket over the years.
He believes that the former captain stepped up when the team needed him the most and he handled the responsibility well. Meanwhile, Harry Brook reveals England’s plan to stop Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
“I think the decision that was taken was the right one. I think it was definitely the right decision to make Rootie the captain that week. He’s always been there for the ECB; he’s been a legend for English cricket. In my opinion, he’s the best batsman to have ever played Test cricket. The ECB needed him that week too and he stepped up,” Harry Brook said in a press conference, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
ECB made the right decision: Brook blames Root for leading England vs New Zealand
Brook felt that his role was to support the stand-in captain in every possible way and help the team perform well, and he fully respected the ECB’s decision to hand over the responsibility to Root.
He added, “And my job that week was just to try to help him as much as possible. There were a lot of conversations – obviously we were at first and second slip, so we were always talking about how we could impact the game. But I definitely think the ECB made the right decision.”
Later in the third and final Test, Ben Stokes shocked the cricket world by announcing his retirement from international cricket. His departure has now opened the door for Brook to take up this role. Even Brook has already expressed his desire to lead England in Test cricket and said he is ready to captain the side in all three formats ahead of the first T20I against India in Durham on July 1.