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With his partnership with Root on 54 off 69, Brook went for a big booming drive off Mitchell Starc with minimal footwork second ball of the 40th over. (AP Photo)
England were off to a nightmarish start in the second Ashes Test with Mitchell Starc sending Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope back quickly and making the pink ball talk early. They were then brought back into the game by Joe Root and Zak Crawley and Harry Brook seemed to be doing the same after the latter’s dismissal. However, Brook’s steady stand with Root ended in a way that left some of England’s former stars visibly frustrated in commentary boxes.
With his partnership with Root on 54 off 69, Brook went for a big booming drive off Mitchell Starc with minimal footwork second ball of the 40th over, which was pitched up just outside the off stump. It took his outside edge and darted to Australia captain Steve Smith’s face and the latter did well to hold on. Former England captain Michael Vaughan was on commentary for BBC’s Test Match Special, who put out a video of his reaction to the moment in which he can be seen leaning back with his hands folded and a frown on his face. “Oh Harry,” said Vaughan. “The way that England have played in the last hour has got them right in control, Starc has been waiting to come on. They’ve waited and waited, Australia, for Starc to come on and within two balls Harry Brook’s played that monstrous drive, gifted Australia a wicket.”
‘Is he recognising the game scenario?’
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad, meanwhile, questioned if Brook is recognising the “game scenario”, recalling how his dismissal in their fifth Test against India earlier this year ultimately resulted in England losing the match. “He’s not starting out his Test career, and I just look at his last three Test matches. India at home, the game was won he got a brilliant hundred, and he chipped one to mid-off and England ended up losing that Test match by six runs. Then played beautifully in the first innings in Perth and in the second innings, Australia getting back in the game, he played a loose drive and he’s out. A similar thing happens this afternoon. To me now, we are getting to a situation of (asking), is he recoginising the game scenario?
Broad noted that it was suprising that Brook chose that shot considering Starc had only just come back for a spell right before the sun set and ended up exposing a new batter to the pink ball in the twilight period, which is the most challenging time for a batsman in a day-night Test. “And on top of that, you expose your captain Stokes who is struggling against Mitchell Starc, to Starc in the twlight period. There needs to be a couple of question marks over that,” said Broad.
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