When Harry met Stokesy

By Rahul Patil

In the past, people were born Royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do. – Gianni Versace

A lot has been said and written about a certain Harry in England since 1984. It’s been mostly all negative since 2018 i.e. the year he got married. The trolling reached its crescendo in 2022 and just when one thought that the English public were ready to write off the name Harry forever a certain Harry Cherrington Brook made his debut for England. With 807 runs from 9 test innings Harry Brook is true cricketing royalty. In him the country found a new Harry. One that they could fall in love with all over again. The older Harry has almost been forgotten now. Positivity has once again seen the end of negativity.

Brook’s first class average is less than 40. Nothing to write home about. But clearly someone saw something in him to hand him a test cap. That someone happens to be Benjamin Andrew Stokes. An innings of 62 from 31 balls in the Northern Superchargers’ first Hundred game made Stokesy an instant fan of Brook. Brook also fit the ‘Bazball’ player profile to a T. Aggressive, always looking for opportunities to score, good of both feet and good against pace and spin. Marnus Labuschagne is another recent name that comes to mind of players picked on potential rather than their numbers in first class cricket.

At the post match press conference, I asked Brook if we tend to read too much into first class numbers and whether it takes something completely different to succeed at the highest level. Brook replied with a very mature answer. He said “I had a very poor start in first class cricket but after two years I was fortunate enough to work on my game and change certain technical flaws with the help of my coaches. As soon as I sorted my technique I started scoring consistently and when the international cap came I was fully ready.

Once the McCullum and Stokes era started and brand ‘Bazball’ was born it was only a matter of time before Brook broke into the playing XI. That opportunity came with a freak injury to Jonny Bairstow. 6 tests and 9 innings later he has scored 807 runs with 4 hundreds and 3 fifties at an astonishing average of over 100 runs per innings. Talk about taking an opportunity with both hands. When Bairstow becomes available for selection later this year it will be a nice headache for the English selectors to try and fit him back into the middle order boasting of Pope, Root, Brook and Stokes.

To be a successful test batter you have to play well in the V. Brook is magnificent in the V. His driving would make Lewis Hamilton proud. And he’s definitely more likeable than Hamilton. You are also bound to be tested with the short stuff time and again in your career. Brook is great of the back foot too. He cuts, pulls and hooks with ease. He’s got the glance and flick too. He been blessed with the gift of timing and most importantly he’s got the uncanny knack of finding the gaps. Like all the extra special players do, he’s got the ability to hit good balls to the boundary. There is hardly any visible weakness.

We have all know about the age old saying that form is temporary and class is permanent. Harry brook is full of class and in the form of his life. Form is a beautiful thing. When you are in form everything you touch turns to gold. Every ball hits the middle of your bat. Edges either fall short, in the gap or in no man’s land. Your feet move like a ballet dancer. You play late and with soft hands. Your calling and running between wickets is on point and batting seems like the easiest thing in the world no matter what pitch you play on or who the opposition is.

Coming in at 21 for 3 the pressure was on Brook from the word go. Southee and Henry had the new Kookaburra hooping around. Questions were being asked regularly. Brook though confessed that he never looks at the pitch before it’s his turn to bat or the scoreboard when he goes in to bat. Keep it simple is his mantra. Only worry about what’s within your control. Treat every ball on its merit. Keep the good ones out and take full toll of anything fractionally loose. Try and disrupt the lengths of the bowlers. As expected the Sun dried up the surface, the ball stopped misbehaving and Mitchell, Wagner and Bracewell were not a worthy follow up act.

With Trent Boult moving on from a NZC central contract the English knew that the only threat to their batting in this series were Southee and Wagner. They have shown Southee the respect he deserves but Brook seems to be one who’s been given the job of attacking Wagner. Wagner’s made a career by bowling short all over the world but nobody has attacked him with such success and consistency in his entire career. The sample size is small but other teams around the world will be watching. Wagner is a fighter though and I won’t be surprised if he reinvents himself as most top tier athletes do when faced with adversity.

Brook is batting on 185 not out overnight. He’s literally got the world at his feet at the moment and he’s well aware of the dream start he’s had to his international career. He was quick to remind us though that he’s enjoying the good times while they last as he knows there will be times when the going gets tough. If only some of the so called Royals had such humility. Well one can only hope.

Respect is earned by action alone, not self-gratification – Paul Combs\

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