Simplicity and clarity are key to Harry Brook’s brilliance, believes Yorkshire coach Ottis Gibson.
Brook made a brilliant start to the new season yesterday with a scintillating 100 not out off 69 balls on day four of the Vitality County Championship draw against Leicestershire.
The 25-year-old England star, with the help of fellow centurion Adam Lyth, lit up an overcast final day of the opening round Division Two clash.
Brook has now scored 12 first-class centuries in his burgeoning career; four of them for England and eight of them in the Championship for Yorkshire.
Fans across the world have seen Brook’s quality on the field across all formats for a number of years now, but what they don’t see is the work he puts in behind the scenes.
But former West Indies fast bowler Gibson has given an insight.
He said: “I see someone who comes in every day and is very clear on how he wants to practice and how his practice is structured. He goes about his work very well in terms of how he prepares every day.
“Quite often players will come and ask the coach, ‘What are we doing today?’ He comes in and says, ‘This is what I want to do, I want to improve this, this and this’.
“He doesn’t waste time in the nets. If he hits for 20 minutes in the nets and he’s feeling great and comfortable, he will walk away.
“Those are things which stand out around his practice – how clear it is.
“Then, when he goes out in the middle, it looks (so easy).
“Quite often with players, you say, ‘Whatever it is you practice, you should be able to that from the nets into the middle’. That’s exactly what he does.
“It’s great to sit and watch him do that.”
Picture by John Heald.
