The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Sport Saturday
Pacemen leave Root and Brook with work to do
Former Test captain out in familiar way on county return Bouncer causes problems for England’s young master
England’s first Test against West Indies is not until July 10 at Lord’s, but West Indian Test cricket showed signs of a revival when defeating Australia in Brisbane this year, so it would be a surprise if their analyst failed to note the manner of Harry Brook’s dismissal by Gloucestershire in the second round of County Championship Division Two matches.
Joe Root scored only two in his first red-ball innings for Yorkshire since July 2022, dismissed lbw when he fell across his crease to the off side, just as he had been doing in the first half of England’s Test series in India. But the old master sorted out that problem in the second half there, and no doubt will again.
It is the young master, who already has a fabulous Test record, who seems to have more of a problem, judging by yesterday’s innings of 26. It must be a long time since Gloucestershire’s pace attack caused sleepless nights, but the groundsman had spread the boundary ropes deep on one side (the old orphanage side) and a pacy attack went after Brook with the surprise bouncer.
In the Ashes Test at Lord’s, of course, he had faced a bouncer barrage but then every ball was short, after Nathan Lyon had limped off, and Brook had been able to set himself to hook and pull before the ball was delivered.
Brook was a model of studious defence after Root had been dismissed and Yorkshire, having been sent in, had stumbled to 25 for three. Whereas Root, even before his dismissal, had fallen towards the off side when defending the straight ball, Brook moved straight towards the line of the ball, bent his knees, and blocked with the middle of his bat, eyes right over the ball, sniffing it.
It was when the bouncer came along that Brook showed signs of coming down to earth from his imperious hundred at Headingley against Leicestershire on Monday. Marchant de Lange was first to test Brook’s hooking to the ex- orphanage side of the ground and the long boundary. The two-Test South African fast bowler hit Brook on the right shoulder with a short ball, and compelled the batsman, on five, to play out a maiden over, which he has seldom done in any format since his England debut.
In De Lange’s next over, Brook hooked at – it was a far more definite movement than “flapped at” – a bouncer that went through him. It might have cleared both deep fielders if he had middled the shot, but the ball whistled through a flurry of bat and gloves to James Bracey.
Some early lateral movement of swing and seam had already justified Gloucestershire’s decision to bowl, but it was subsiding by the time Brook came in and struggled to 11 off 37 balls. He played and missed at the lively Ajeet Singh Dale and was then hit on the body a second time, by a nip- backer. Something had to give.
Brook’s signature shot was his riposte. Dale, bowling at the end with the shorter leg-side boundary, was swung by Brook for six in front of square leg. Anything that is even a fraction short of a length provokes Brook to pivot and pull for six like Kevin Pietersen in the mood. Zaman Akhter’s next ball was thrashed through the overs. Brook was surely up and running now.
But, no. Akhter, also lively, gave Brook a bouncer that was hooked for four between the fielders on the boundary on the longer side of the ground – and he followed up with another short ball. It was not as straight as some of the other bouncers, more outside off, and Brook was never in control of this shot. His stroke sent the ball over and wide of mid-on. De Lange ran back and caught it well over his shoulder: Brook gone for 26 off 55 balls.
After Yorkshire had been taken to 326 by captain Shan Masood’s 140, Brook fielded in the slips, often at third, which was Jonny Bairstow’s spot for England but probably not any more. Whether Bairstow keeps wicket or retires, Brook is taking his positions.