JOE ROOT INSISTS HARRY BROOK IS 'THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD' - DESPITE LEADING THE ICC TEST BATTING RANKINGS HIMSELF - AFTER THE ENGLAND STAR'S BLISTERING 123 TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF NEW ZEALAND SERIES

• Harry Brook's 123 turned the course of the second Test and indeed the series
• Only Joe Root is ranked higher than Brook in the ICC's Test batting rankings
• READ MORE: Whisper it but England's Ashes jigsaw might falling into place 

It might have been the shot of the year. With England four down for not many on the first morning of the second Test, Harry Brook advanced at Nathan Smith as if he was a spinner, launching him over extra cover, out of the Basin Reserve and into the morning traffic.

Brook’s logic was as clear-cut as the stroke’s impact. He wanted to hit New Zealand’s seamers off the line and length that had troubled England’s top order, and he had factored in the risk. Three hours later, his 123 had changed the course of the game – and the series.

Only one batsman – Joe Root – had begun the Test ahead of Brook in the ICC rankings. Yet even after Root scored a century of his own in England’s 323-run win, he took issue with the algorithm.

‘If you ask me, Brooky is by far and away the best player in the world at the minute,’ he said. ‘To be able to construct an innings like that, off the back of another exceptional hundred the week before…

‘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.’

The baton is being passed, even as Root remains at his peak. And the timing of his observation was typically generous: he had just become the first England player to tick off six Test centuries in a calendar year twice, and is on the shortlist to become the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.

With Root averaging nearly 51, and Brook 61, England are benefiting from a friendly Yorkshire arms race. This year, it has produced 10 Test hundreds, plus a world-record stand of 454 in Multan.

Would Brook, who is confident of shaking off a twisted ankle in time for Friday night’s third Test in Hamilton, like to pinch the No 1 ranking off his team-mate?

‘I’m trying to catch him, but he’s too good, isn’t he?’ he said. ‘He’s got another hundred this week. He’s one of the best to have ever played the game. It’s mega to play with him, and he’s awesome to watch.’

Circumstance has dictated that Brook’s only overseas Tests have all come in either Pakistan (where he averages 84) or New Zealand (96). His next step is to score big runs against India and Australia – England’s two main Test opponents in 2025.

In the meantime, perhaps the most astonishing number on his CV is a strike-rate of 88 runs per 100 balls. Of the 43 other Test batsman to average 50 (with a minimum of 20 innings), the highest strike-rate belongs to Viv Richards – just under 70. In other words, Brook is scoring a lot more quickly than the most physically intimidating batsman in Test history.

Like Root, he is unfailingly modest. ‘I’ve only played 23 games, so those stats can soon come soaring down,’ he said. ‘I’m just trying to keep on getting as good as I can be, and improving areas that are uncomfortable.’

How can he improve? ‘Everywhere,’ he said. ‘You can always get better everywhere.’

In one area, he has already made progress. At The Oval in September, he chastised Sri Lanka’s bowlers for aiming wide of off stump, as if they were obliged to feed his strengths. But at the Basin Reserve, he dictated terms to New Zealand, forcing them to bowl in the areas that suited him.

‘We’re trying very hard to bowl as a unit out there, but when someone like Harry Brook comes in and does what he does, it’s difficult for anyone in the world,’ said New Zealand coach Gary Stead. ‘That’s the challenge in front of us – to find a way to put brakes on him and hopefully get him out.’

And Brook’s performance helped deal with another accusation often levelled at the Bazballers: that they are flat-track bullies. The Wellington pitch was anything but, which is why New Zealand captain Tom Latham had no hesitation in bowling first.

‘We say it all the time,’ said Brook. ‘We’re out there to score runs – we’re not there to survive. And on a pitch like that, if you try to dig in, it’s only a matter of time. Sometimes you’ve just got to go out of your comfort zone, and have the courage to run down the track.’

As an epitaph for Bazball, that may take some beating.

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2024-12-09T11:42:49Z