Harry Brook says playing regularly with England skipper Joe Root has been a “big learning curve”, after the 22-year-old was voted your PCA Player of the Month for June.
Brook was identified by the PCA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rankings as one of the top four performers in the domestic game throughout the month, and he subsequently won the June award with a substantial 52.6% of the public vote.
He joins Derbyshire’s Matt Critchley (April) and Essex’s Simon Harmer (May) in having won a men’s PCA Player of the Month award this season.
Reacting to his win, Brook said that thorough preparation as well as learning from the likes of Root has been key to his success, particularly in the T20 format: “I’m very happy to win the PCA Player of the Month this month. I’ve tried to better myself with a lot of hard work over the winter, and hopefully that’s shown over the last month or two, especially in the Vitality Blast.
“I’m really happy with the way I’ve played in the T20s. I’m trying to play low-risk cricket and wait until the last few overs to take it apart. But I’m happy with the way I’ve played in T20 and hopefully I can carry it on into The Hundred.
“I’ve learned a lot from Rooty. Last year, we played against Derbyshire in a T20 and we knocked off their total of 168. That innings was a big learning curve for me and watching him play all the way through, taking low-risk options and taking it deep was something I learned a lot from.
“Rooty is not just a great player, but he’s a great bloke as well. He’s so approachable – you can talk to him whenever you want about your batting or your bowling and he’s always there to chat to. He’s really good to have around the changing room and he obviously brings a hell of a lot of experience to the team.”
Reflecting on the month just gone, the former England U19s captain cites his incredible match-saving partnership with Jordan Thompson against Worcestershire as his personal highlight, and he hopes that the young, talented squad at Yorkshire can push on for honours across all formats this season.
“It’s up there with my best ever innings in a Yorkshire shirt. When we were down the dumps and nearly out of the game, it was unbelievable to put on that partnership with Thommo and bring the innings back to life.
“Every year we’re trying to win silverware, but we’re really pushing for it this year. We’ve got great squads in both formats, as well as in the Royal London Cup, so we should be pushing for all three trophies and hopefully we can come back with one or two.
“Ever since I first learned to walk I’ve wanted to play for England, but I don’t want to look too far ahead. I’ve still got a lot of cricket to play with Yorkshire and I’ve got a big part to play in the Blast, so hopefully we can get through to the quarter-finals, Finals Day and then bring back some silverware.”
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