With six wins in as many matches, including the 3-0 win in ODIs followed by 3-0 win in T20Is over West Indies, 26-year-old England captain Harry Brook has started his white-ball captaincy record with an all-win record. Brook was appointed the England white-ball captain earlier this year and England coach Brendon McCullum has shared how the two series are a ‘blueprint of Harry Brook’s captaincy’.
“It’s been a really good two weeks. Any time you go through a period of transition and change, you have aspirations and hopes on what you can achieve. Sometimes, they happen quick and sometimes they take a long time to embed. But in the last couple of weeks, we have seen a clear blueprint of how Harry Brook wants this cricket team to run and his style of captaincy. That’s a real positive,” McCullum told Sky Sports.
England’s last world title in white-ball cricket came in the form of the 2022 T20 World Cup. Post that, England have failed to defend the 2023 World Cup title in India, followed by the T20 World Cup in the USA and West indies last year. It also led to the sacking of coach Matthew Mott. Post the Champions Trophy, where the team failed to advance into the semi-finals, Jos Buttler stood down from captaincy, followed by Brook being appointed as England’s white-ball captain. When asked about his approach towards Brook’s captaincy, McCullum shared how he has let him ‘find his way’. “I have let him (Harry Brook) find his way. He doesn’t like to make things complicated. He likes to keep it simple. That’s a compliment, it’s a great skill. His calmness, his poise, his ability to keep it simple rubs off on other guys. He’s also captained a lot of sides growing up, so he’s got great friendships with guys who understand how he works. We haven’t conquered the world, but we have made a nice start over the last couple of weeks. It’s a positive sign,” McCullum added.
England will not play white-ball cricket until September, when they play a series against South Africa and Ireland. The Harry Brook-led England side will also travel to New Zealand to play in an ODI and T20I series. McCullum also talked about how having Jos Buttler in the side helps Brook. “It’s a real positive for Brook and the team to have Jos (Jos Butler) in the ranks and contributing the way he has. He’s been outstanding and not just on the pitch but also in the dressing room and around the group. It reminds me a lot of Joe Root when it came to Ben Stokes’ Test captaincy. It’s a good mark of someone’s characteristics,” said the coach.
