Delhi: England’s middle order batsman Harry Brook has started his Test career in a brilliant manner. In the 24 Test matches played so far, his average is 58.48. He has quickly become a key player in England’s batting lineup and fits the ‘baseball’ style of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.
Brook compared to Sachin Tendulkar
Former Australian batsman Greg Chappell has compared Harry Brook with Sachin Tendulkar. He said that Brook’s batting style is very simple but “extremely effective”.
Greg Chappell believes that Brook’s statistics in his early career look better than Sachin Tendulkar. He wrote in his column in the Sydney Morning Herald, “Harry Brook is an excellent batsman, whose performance and approach remind me of Sachin Tendulkar. Early career statistics show that Brook’s impact could be even greater than Sachin’s. At the age of just 25, Brook has become one of the most popular cricketers in the world. His batting technique is simple but effective. Like Sachin, Brook also does not make much movement at the crease and remains stationary until the ball comes.
Brook has scored 8 centuries and 10 half-centuries so far. Recently, England defeated New Zealand in the three-match Test series, in which Brook was selected as the Player of the Series.
The former batsman also said, “Brooke’s consistency and simple technique helps him read the bowlers and play shots at the right time. With this he can score runs on balls of any length. This is the reason why he is proving difficult for the bowlers.”
‘Remains to be tested on bigger grounds’
Greg admitted that there is a similarity between Brooke and Sachin. However, it has to be kept in mind that Brook has scored most of the centuries on flat pitches. The real test of their game will be when they have to play on curved pitches and bouncy conditions. He said, “Sachin’s early success was in his ability to take advantage of his pace and score runs on both sides. Brook, who is physically stronger, also has an amazing ability to manipulate the field. “It seems like an easy way, but this simplicity is the mark of greatness.”
Chappell made the comparison and said, “In his first 15 Tests, Sachin had scored 837 runs, the average was around 40 and scored 2 centuries. At the same time, Brook scored 1378 runs, the average was around 60 and scored 5 centuries. But, it is also true that Sachin was a teenager at that time, while Brooke is in her mid-20s.”
He concluded by saying, “Brooke’s combination of aggression and stability makes him scary for the bowlers. He is not just a promising player for England, but the future of the team can be built around him.”
