‘You can’t fail to learn from guys like Joe’: Run machine Harry Brook reveals his debt to Root after scoring a century in each game of England’s historic 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan
- Brook scored a century in each game of England’s historic 3-0 whitewash
- He finished with 468 runs, the most in a Test series in Pakistan by an Englishman
- Brook singled out his fellow Yorkshireman for the help he provided on the first tour
England’s new batting star Harry Brook has expressed his debt to Joe Root after a record-breaking first Test tour of Pakistan.
Brook scored a century in each game of England’s historic 3-0 whitewash, and finished with 468 runs – the most in a Test series in Pakistan by an Englishman, beating David Gower’s haul of 449 in 1983- 84.
And while Root himself had an unusually quiet time with the bat, with a half-century and an average of 25, Brook singled out his fellow Yorkshireman for the help he provided.
England’s new batting star Harry Brook (left) expresses his debt to Joe Root (right)
‘We’ve got Rooty in the dressing room, so I’ve been talking to him a lot about batting and he’s been great to chat to for me,’ said Brook.
‘I tried to make the most of his presence. We have talked a lot throughout this tour and I will continue to do so. You cannot fail to learn from such men. If you surround yourself with the best, you cannot fail to improve.’
Not only did Brook average 93, he also scored his runs at a strike-rate of 93, an impressive rate for Test cricket, but in line with some of his teammates. Will Jacks, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope scored faster.
Asked how captain Ben Stokes got the whole team to buy into an attacking philosophy on Pakistan’s slow, low pitch, Brook replied: ‘He’s Ben Stokes, isn’t he?’
Brook scored a century in each game of England’s historic 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan
There was praise, too, for Brendon McCullum, whose first 10 Tests as head coach produced nine wins and multiple records.
‘We also have Baz, one of the best players to have played in his era,’ said Brook. ‘So when you have two people like that who have been a big influence on people’s lives in the dressing room, then you are doing the right thing.
‘I loved watching those guys play when I was young, so you just listen and follow what they say, they know what they’re about.
‘We’re the only team to come out here and win 3-0, and that’s a fantastic achievement. Everyone knows how dead the pitches are, so to force three results on them is incredible from everyone.’
McCullum’s first 10 Tests as head coach produced nine wins and many records
Meanwhile, fast bowler Mark Wood says England will continue to try to prove Bazball’s critics wrong as they head into another busy Test year, starting with February’s two-match series in New Zealand.
‘It’s the fact that people keep doubting us,’ he said after taking eight crucial wickets in Multan and Karachi for just 20 each.
‘You can’t go to Pakistan and do that, you can’t do that against India, or against New Zealand…
‘So it’s going to keep breaking records, keep trying to prove people wrong, play this way, and show that hopefully other teams will notice and think they have to be on their A game to compete against the team. of this England.’
Advertisement
