It was probably the right choice to start this season enjoying some success in familiar surroundings at Yorkshire as he came to terms with his grief rather than thousands of miles away on his own in India with the scrutiny of the IPL. He has worked on his fitness in his time off and looks leaner than ever before to help him run twos and be better in the field. Two championship hundreds, an average of 77 and a strike rate just under a run a ball was the tonic he needed after staying at home to spend time with grandmother Pauline after consulting Stokes, who lost his father to cancer in 2020. “I had a couple of conversations with him (Stokes) and he basically said whatever happens family is the most important thing and you’d regret going back to play cricket if something happened than if you were at home and something happened. I did the right thing.” Previous England regimes were not as compassionate. Now England have a grateful player on their hands. “I’m buzzing to be here,” he said.
Brook had only two innings in the T20 series against Pakistan, falling for one in the collapse at Edgbaston but finished off the Oval victory putting on 46 in 17 balls with Jonny Bairstow. With Moeen and Liam Livingstone at six and seven producing a mixed bag of form in recent years, the combination of Bairstow and Brook at four and five is pivotal. If they fail it is hard to see England mounting much of a challenge. Both have much to prove; Bairstow that he is not over the hill, Brook that he can be a white-ball demon too.
This is generally a simple format, foot down and go is the usual plan. But the challenge for Brook, and his team-mates, will be to adapt if they lose early wickets and the conditions call for brain not brawn. We know England are strong. Are they smart too? It could be that adapting his game is how Brook stands out and stands tall as a future leader.
Brook really could be a standout star of this tournament. He has plenty to play for personally and professionally over the next month.