By Guy Williams, The Cricket Paper
The stressful uncertainties often experienced by professional cricketers are exemplified clearly by the fluctuations in fortune suffered by Yorkshire batsman, Harry Brook, without doubt one of the country’s most talented younger players.
The 20-year-old opener, who little more than a year ago scored an outstanding 124 at Chelmsford in the Championship against Essex – an innings praised for its maturity by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow – is now relegated to Yorkshire Seconds and struggling to play any cricket because of all the rain, precisely when he needs time in the middle.
Brook, not surprisingly, was dropped by Yorkshire after a sequence of low scores in the opening four Championship games in which he made only 105 runs in seven innings (av 15.00) with a top score of 30 against Notts.
With Brook now facing a test of his character and skill as he attempts to rebuild his career, he can reflect fondly on an excellent knock in April of 103 from only 105 balls against Leicestershire in the Royal London Cup.
“It was understandable that I’d be dropped because I wasn’t scoring any runs. In fact, I felt I’d be dropped. To be fair, I did quite well in the Cup, got a good hundred and a fifty and averaged over 40.
“The wickets early in the season were difficult to bat on and the conditions favoured the quicker bowlers. I found it a real mental challenge.
“All the seamers in Division One are a handful when the ball is moving about. One of the best is Lewis Gregory at Somerset.
“I enjoy white ball cricket, but the real challenge as an opener is scoring runs in the Championship. You have to pace an innings and build it.
“When I get out, I analyse my game and jot down a few points in a note book which I keep. Naturally, it’s disappointing to be dropped, but I’m a confident player and the short-term ambition is to score runs in the Seconds and in the league for Bradford and Bingley – weather permitting.
“I’m sure I can regain my place in the first team, and in the long term, my ambition is to play for England and hopefully I may get a contract with one of the franchises overseas to play T20 cricket.”
