Door remains open for Harry Brook – Matthew Mott
Spread the love

When players miss out on a squad, you want them to come out and slam the door down,” Mott said.

“I thought he made a real statement with his hundred in The Hundred at the start of this series.

“Those are all good things for him.

There will be plenty of good cricket played in the next month, so we’ll see how that squad turns out.”

On Friday, England’s provisional World Cup squad will play four one-day internationals against New Zealand.

Brook isn’t included in that group, but Mott said he’ll be in the squad to play three ODIs against Ireland.

Two days after the final ODI against Ireland, England must name their final World Cup squad, plus three travelling reserves.

“Yes, the door is still open for Brook,” Mott replied.

“I think those players have had the first crack at it, but as we’ve said throughout, we’ll monitor and see how players are doing, and adjust as necessary.”

The first World Cup game is nearly a month away, so there are plenty of opportunities for players to participate.

Having played 12 Test matches with four centuries, Brook averages 61.15 after 12 matches.

Although he was part of England’s T20 World Cup triumph last year, he has only played three one-day internationals.

Ben Stokes’ return knocked him out of the initial squad, but a recall would leave Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone or even bowler David Willey most vulnerable.

However, Roy and Malan are top-order players, and Livingstone also bowls useful spin, while Brook is a middle-order batsman.

“He’s a gun player and I believe he’ll be one of the best players of his generation,” Mott said.

“It’s an incredibly hard side to select and to fit 15 players into it.”

England’s World Cup campaign begins on 5 October against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, where they will defend the title they won in 2019.