Harry Brook remains one of England's most fascinating cricketers. Despite serving as white-ball captain and Test vice-captain, he was overlooked for the red-ball job when Ben Stokes retired, with Joe Root preferred. Brook averages a formidable 53.08 in Tests, the highest for England in almost 60 years, with 10 centuries. However, he often draws criticism for his aggressive, some say reckless, batting.
Since the Ashes he has failed to convert any of his seven fifties into centuries, yet he still averages 41.57 and has scored hundreds as captain in T20s and one-day internationals during that time. "I enjoy the extra responsibility," he said. "I like the extra little bit of added pressure."
"I'm not going to go out there and score runs every time I bat, but I want to be the man that is in that match-winning situation who can get us over the line," he added. "I know there have been a few innings where I haven't managed to do that, but hopefully I've turned that corner and I can really be the man England fans and the team rely on."
The debate around Brook was perhaps best summed up by Stokes, who told the Yorkshireman he is talented enough to average 65 or 70. Brook, however, says he is not bothered by the stats. "I've always said I think there should be a match-winning column in your stats – that's not there," he said. He tracks his own performances by judging whether he had a match-winning impact in each game, then tallies them at the end of the year to see how well he has done.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing