Pakistan’s National Bureau of Statistics held its first ‘Data Fest’ conference this week, 10 minutes away from a British hotel in Islamabad. Under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, this England set-up has had little interest in numbers, but there is one figure that stands out from the series decider in nearby Rawalpindi: 101.25, Harry Brook’s batting average for Pakistan.
It’s been two years since Brook announced himself as a Test cricketer with an outrageous maiden hundred in Rawalpindi. He made 506 for 4 on the opening day of the series against Pakistan and was England’s fourth centurion as he was 116 for 153 on the second morning after eventually plundering 27 from Zahid Mahmood.
He followed that innings with hundreds for England in wins in Multan and Karachi, an extension of Pakistan’s remarkable form that started with a century in the 2022 PSL and continued with a landmark T20I series. Not since Kevin Pietersen has given an England batsman such a convincing start to their Test career.
Brook opened the series for Multan on his return this month with an innings of 317, a mammoth innings that was England’s best for 34 years. But more than 500km away in Peshawar, Sajid Khan was watching closely on TV and noticed Brook falling back against the spin. When called up for the second Test, Sajid planned to spin the ball sharply out of the rough.
“There was a small patch on the outside of the stump,” Sajid explained. “When he got to his first ball, I said to Lizzy: bisexual (Mohammad Rizwan) If you play like this again, I will throw you out.” As Sajid expected, Brook tried to step back and go through the covers, but he hit an inside edge on a low ball and ended up on the leg stumps. He was pushed back.
Brook was again on the back foot in England’s second innings, this time against left-armer Noman Ali. He sat deep in the crease and tried to swing the ball over midwicket but was fooled by the low bounce and trapped lbw. With scores of 9 and 16, this was Brook’s most successful Test for Pakistan. It was our first loss and our first without a 100-point score.
England coach Brendon McCullum grinned after hearing that Sajid had revealed his plans to Brook after the second Test. McCullum said: “Did he? He bowled well.” “He’s a really exciting cricketer and a big player for us, and he’s trying to put pressure on the opposition… and sometimes that leads to mistakes and you get out.”
One quiet Test right after a triple-back isn’t enough to cause long-term concerns, but Brook said on Tuesday he was discussing his game plan against Sajid and Noman ahead of this week’s decider. “It’s clear that both of them will play a big role in the team,” he said. “I hope it pays off and I play a big part in the game.”
Brook agreed with Sajid’s assessment of his preference for back-foot spin play. “I really like it,” he said. “It gives me more time to play the spinning ball. It gives me different areas to play in. I’m not saying I won’t do that. I’ll look at playing on the back foot and I’ll put pressure on him. no see.”
Few problems plagued him throughout his Test career. To date, Brook has a higher average against spin (67.81) than seam (57.70). But what made his two misses noteworthy was that it was the first time he had played on a pitch that clearly favored the spinners, after missing England’s tour of India on mercy leave.
England were 6-for-1 ahead of their final training session in Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning, with Brook batting second behind Rehan Ahmed. Stokes said the goal was to “create a good atmosphere” after being largely confined to two hotels and two stadiums for three weeks, but it also served as a reminder of Brook’s destructive power.
It is easy to forget that Brook has only played 20 Tests, which is the speed with which he has become a regular in all formats for England. He has a stellar track record with a sub-60 average, but he is still a work in progress. “He’s a baby in the bigger scheme of things,” Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie said. “He will do well in any situation. Good players tend to do that.”
This has been a very long season for Brook. Since the start of April, he has played almost non-stop, playing 35 matches across different formats, including eight Tests, five ODIs as interim captain and one T20 World Cup. Thursday’s Rawalpindi Test will finally be over even though England will have a short break before traveling to New Zealand.
As a three-format player, Brook is increasingly accustomed to the rigors of the international schedule and will soon become accustomed to targeting what his opponents perceive as potential weaknesses. If he can overcome both pitfalls and maintain an impressive triple-digit average in Pakistan, it will go a long way in helping England close out this series.
