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21 hours ago
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Harry Brook is prepared to "rein it in" in this week's third Ashes Test, admitting he has been guilty of "bad" errors since arriving in Australia.
Brook has failed to fire in the series so far, managing just 98 runs in four innings and gifting his wicket with some poorly judged attacking strokes.
The 26-year-old started the trip as the number two batter in the ICC world rankings, but has dropped two places in as many games and needs to carry more of the weight if England are to keep their campaign alive in Adelaide.
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Brook, who was promoted to vice-captain ahead of the tour, accepts he has made mistakes and has signalled an intent to be more selective.
"Sometimes I've got to rein it in a little bit, learn to absorb the pressure a bit more," he said.
"I need to realise when the opportunity arises to put the pressure back on them. I feel like I haven't done that as well as I usually do. There's no reason behind that, I just haven't identified those situations well enough.
"It hasn't been an ideal series but things like that happen and hopefully I can bounce back better and perform this week."
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Brook started out with a flashy half-century, but was dismissed for a duck driving on the up in his second innings and swung wildly at danger man Mitchell Starc at a key moment in the second Test at the Gabba.
In both instances, he takes full responsibility.
"I'll be the first person to stand up and say that they were bad shots. Shocking shots," he said.
"I'll admit that every day of the week, especially that one in Perth. It was nearly a bouncer and I tried to drive it. It was just bad batting. The one in Brisbane, I've tried to hit for six.
"That's what I mean when I try to say that I need to rein it in a little bit. I can almost just take that and hit it for one to get down the other end. I don't regret them, but if I was there again, I would try and play it slightly differently.
"I'll be thinking about my game and the risks and the options I have before I go out there."
Root: A bit like Pietersen - Brook does things other players can't do
Brook has been backed to come good in the series by fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root
Root told Sky Sports: "I always knew he was a very talented player, someone who could go on and do very special things for England.
"But to be as consistent as he has been, you are clearly a very good player with a very good mind, resilience, strength of character and a high level of skill.
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"People will be disappointed by some of his dismissals but he is a generational player and he is going to deliver at some point in this series. You watch out. He's a match-winner.
"If he gets himself in and set, he will do something very special."
So, after some shots Brook may wish he had not played, what would Root's advice be? "I would say trust your instincts in the moment.
"He has a great cricket brain. It's a bit like Pietersen - he does things other players can't do.
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"If you try and tell him to do something that doesn't come naturally to him, I don't think you are going to get the best out of him.
"I think you have to trust that he is going to make the right decision at any given moment. With the skill level he has, you have to put trust and faith that he will make the right call. He has done special things because of his mind and how he reads the game.
"The majority of the time he makes very good decisions in high-pressure moments, puts pressure back on bowlers. He also takes a lot of pressure off the guy at the other end.
Risk-reward balance for Brook
Australian cricket journalist Adam Collins on Harry Brook:
“Brook is a wildly gifted Test batsman and has the ability to put real pressure on Australia.
"He loves to walk at bowlers and assert himself physically but if the wicketkeeper is up to the stumps to Michael Neser and Australia bring back the spin Nathan Lyon, which seems locked-on certainty, that will preclude form playing on his terms quite so much.
"Brook is the most likely player in the England team to do something outrageous, score a run-a-ball double hundred but the degree of risk he takes on, when you are being smothered by some of the best bowlers in the world, that is not nothing.
"You have to accept there will be early dismissals playing like that but at his best he transfers pressure on to bowlers like no one else in world cricket."
"He can create carnage at times for the opposition and speed the game up but can be destructive in a slightly different way as well.
"He can kill teams with a whisper, too."
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
Australia lead five-match series 2-0
- First Test (Perth): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Second Test (Brisbane): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Third Test: Wednesday December 17 - Sunday December 21 (Adelaide)
- Fourth Test: Friday December 26 - Tuesday December 30 (Melbourne)
- Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 - Thursday January 8 (Sydney)
English (US)