Many of Brendon McCullum’s decisions were criticized this winter as England suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat in the Ashes, but his recent decisions have paid off.
The head coach told white-ball captain Harry Brook that he was promoting him to No. 3 for the T20 World Cup against Pakistan, and Brooke smashed a 50-ball century in a two-wicket win to take his team to the semi-finals.
“Buzz (McCallum) was the mastermind behind that incident,” Brook said. “He talked to me this morning about moving up the order and maximizing the power play, and thankfully it paid off.”
But in truth, the captain’s entry on the first drop was not a far-fetched move.
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England captain Brook says he has been keen to move up the table for some time.
It was something that former England all-rounder Moeen Ali had suggested he should do before the match, with Brook having previously only batted at number five in T20Is in 2026.
And, as Brook found out after the game when he told Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton in his presentation, that’s what he himself wants. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he revealed.
It seemed like a totally common sense decision.
Put your best players in positions where they can face a significant number of deliveries. In particular, Jos Buttler, who has been your best player for years, was really struggling at the top of the order, with Brook being assigned the finishing role that was previously played brilliantly by Will Jacks.
“Whenever we lose against England, it’s Brook.”
Brooke appeared on the second pitch against Paleker on Tuesday after Buttler’s opening partner Phil Salt went for a golden duck.
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Highlights of all England matches defeat Pakistan by 2 wickets to advance to T20 World Cup semi-finals
The captain got right to work after getting off the mark in the second delivery, clipping and pulling paceman Salman Mirza for a four and a six respectively in the second over, and then tormenting spinners Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan.
Brook’s strokes, some of them breathtaking, were based on decisive footwork, not only skipping to certain throw pitches but also moving deeper into the crease before taking shorter throws into the stands. The Yorkshireman’s height selection was perfect.
It was an innings of intelligence and brazenness, including smooth running between the wicks as he took advantage of the vast outfield to convert one run into two with 10 fours and four sixes.
Brook completed his first T20I hundred with a lofted drive for four off Shaheen Shah Afridi, then stepped back to catch the ball in front to mark a sublime six-over extra cover.
The batsman was one ball away after reaching triple figures, out to Shaheen’s slow ball, but earned a handshake from the bowler who punished Pakistan in yet another match.
In the first place, Brook’s promotion was with Pakistan in mind – a team against which he had scored four centuries, an average of 84.10 in Test cricket, and a score of 50 in six matches, including a best of 317. After this strong performance, he is currently scoring 62.66 points in T20 international tournaments.
“Whenever we play against England and lose, it’s always Brooke,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha lamented after the match.
‘Unrealistic and ridiculous’ special – Brooke praises after achieving amazing tons
Mr Moeen and Mr Jacks were among those who praised Brook as England celebrated safe passage to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a sixth successive T20 win over Pakistan.
Jacks, who shared a stand of 52 off 31 balls with Brook for the fifth wicket, said: “That was a special knock. He had a special responsibility and he got 100 straight away.”
“Shaheen was swinging the ball up top and we know the quality of their spinners but he made it look so easy. He was leading from the front.”
“He’s our best batter, and he has to face as many balls as possible. He got hit 20 on the power play, and when he got spin, he was in the flow. He didn’t just slug it out. He scored at a .200 strike rate, but never felt like he was chasing the game. That’s skill.”
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Moeen Ali breaks down Brook’s innings and what he can achieve as a top order batsman on a regular basis
Moeen added: “When Brooke plays like that, he’s very good. There aren’t many better players. It was an unbelievable knock. It was outstanding. If he can bat at number three in T20s, he’ll hit 130s, 150s.”
“He plays with more spin after facing the seam early on and just puts pressure on the bowler. He hits the ball well at number four and six. Some shots against spin were unbelievable.”
“The best way to convey the message (about being brave) is to play like this. I also liked his game mentality. That was the most impressive thing. His energy running between the wickets.”
“Body language is a small thing but it’s very important in T20 cricket and he looked… like a man possessed. His runs, his shots, his shot selection were unreal.”
Harry Brook – England captain, England match-winner and arguably now England’s permanent T20 number three.
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