England star batter Harry Brook return back to home due to personal reasons, set to miss Test series against India
Harry Brook (Source- Twitter)
India is currently hosting England for the forthcoming five-match Test series. Ahead of the first Test on January 25th, their best batter Harry Brook has gone home with immediate effect and will miss England’s Test series in India for personal reasons. He has been one of England’s most consistent batters in Test cricket over the last year or two. The three Lions were the last team to defeat the hosts in the 2012-13 season, and since then, the hosts have won 16 consecutive home series.
The team was supposed to arrive in Hyderabad on Sunday, ahead of the first Test on Thursday, but Brook will not be there because he returned home from the team’s training camp in the UAE. According to the ECB’s official statement, Brook’s replacement has been announced with Dan Lawrence has been called up. The former batter has been a crucial element of England’s new-age Test team, contributing to the Bazball tactics with his aggressive strokeplay. In 2023, he made 701 runs in eight matches, becoming England‘s second-highest scorer.
His absence has left a significant gap in the English middle order in 12 appearances, he has averaged 62.15 and a strike percentage of 91.76, with four hundreds. He was briefly promoted to No. 3 during the Ashes, after Ollie Pope had a series-ending shoulder injury. On the other hand Lawrence has 551 runs from 11 matches at 29, with four fifties and has not played a Test since 2022, when he faced the West Indies at St George’s Park.
Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons: England Cricket Board
The ECB said in a statement: “Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men’s Test tour of India. The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space. Our thoughts are with you at this time, Brooky.”
They are being criticised for their Bazball approach as they have played an aggressive brand of cricket, but this might backfire in a spin-friendly and tough conditions in India.
