Harry Brook has laid out the roadmap for every player who wants to break into England’s white-ball teams, and that is to do well consistently. Questions were raised after England dropped Jordan Cox and Zak Crawley, the highest and the third-highest run-getters in the Hundred so far, from the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa and Ireland. But Brook said Cox and Crawley, as well as other players who are eyeing a spot in the team, have to truly earn the opportunity to get into the team.
Crawley has not played a white-ball game for England since December 2023, an ODI against West Indies, and has yet to debut in T20Is. For all the experience he carries in Tests, having featured in 59 red-ball matches, he hadn’t received a similar treatment in the limited-overs formats. In fact, his participation in the Hundred was up in the air for a while after London Spirit, for whom Crawley had played for three seasons (2021-23), released him. It is understood that Brook pushed for his team, Northern Superchargers, to sign the opening batter.
Cox, however, is a classic white-ball player through and through, which makes his exclusion all the more baffling. Still, Brook wants the competition to keep brewing to bolster England’s bench strength.
“Everybody’s in the mix: whoever does well,” Brook said on Saturday night. “He [Crawley] obviously has the attributes that we’re talking about: putting pressure on the bowlers with their good and bad balls; he can manipulate the field really well; he’s good against fast bowling and he’s good against spin. He’s got all the attributes to play white-ball [cricket] for England.
“It’s the same with everybody. Everybody’s been talking about Jordan Cox: he’s obviously an unbelievable player, alongside Creeps. You’ve just got to keep on doing it, and be as consistent as you can for a long period of time… It’s good to have competition [for places].”
Brook took over as England’s limited-over captain from Jos Buttler after the side’s dismal Champions Trophy campaign, which came as a follow-up to failed defenses of the ODI and T20 World Cups, respectively, in the preceding years. He has yet to lose a game since assuming the captaincy role full time, though his Hundred stint as skipper was turned sour after rain washed out the eliminator against Trent Rockets on Saturday.
“It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get through – but that’s cricket,” he said after Rockets, placed higher in group stage table, reached the final. “We’ve had an unbelievable season. This comp’s been so much fun, playing with some really good lads and alongside Fred [head coach Andrew Flintoff], who is an absolute legend, so I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Brook would hardly have time to put his feet up after his side’s ousting from the tournament. The ODI leg of the South Africa series begins this Tuesday, leaving him with just two days for R&R.
“I’ve said a million times that England cricket gets my priority. I’ve been trying my best throughout this competition to stay as fresh as I can for England,” Brook said, readier than ever to kick off a busy window for England, which will extend past the Ashes series with a series against Sri Lanka recently scheduled for late January 2026.
