Harry Brook has had an extraordinary start to his Test career, with eight hundreds in just 23 Tests, showing why he’s rated so highly in England. What’s more fascinating is his numbers away from home, with an average of 89.35, with seven out of his eight tons coming in either New Zealand or Pakistan.
It was a similar case in England’s win over New Zealand in the second Test, when Brook saved the Three Lions from blushes, taking them from 43/4 to 280, scoring a 115-ball 123. Fellow Yorkshire legend and batter Joe Root couldn’t stop but praise Brook for his form, hailing him as ‘by far and away the best player in world cricket at the moment’.
"If you asked me, Brooky [Brook] is by far and away the best player in the world at the minute," Root said in the post-match press conference.
"He has such an all-round game: he can absorb pressure, he can apply it, he can whack you over your head for six, he can scoop you over his head for six, he can smack spin, he can smack seam. He's so hard to bowl to."
Not just Root but England’s skipper Ben Stokes also reserved special praise for how Brook constructed his innings on a tricky surface in Wellington.
"From 40-odd for four on day one, to be sat here on the winning side halfway through day three, is pretty special," Stokes said.
"In cricket terms, that pitch was what we call a snake pit... it was doing plenty. Brooky is just phenomenal. No-one has a right to go out and score 120 on that wicket, against the attack that New Zealand have. There are only a few players in the world who could go out and play like he did and I'm glad he's in our team."
Brook’s crazy last few months have catapulted him as the second-ranked Test batter in the world. Unsurprisingly, his fellow Yorkshireman Root is topping the list, showing England’s domination in Test rankings. The third Test between the two sides starts on December 14, as England look for a whitewash away from home.
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