CHENNAI: Harry Brook revealed that he took the 'very tough' decision of skipping the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for his own 'mental and physical well-being'.
"I’m really enjoying playing for my country," he said in an interview facilitated by Sony, the Indian broadcaster for the India-England series. "You do have to make tough decisions. For instance, I withdrew from the IPL to focus on my physical and mental well-being."
However, England's white-ball captain said he would love to be part of the league 'in the future'. "I loved my time in the IPL, it's a fantastic tournament. I would love to play again in the future but right now, I want to focus fully on England."
The only time the 25-year-old featured in the IPL (2023), he was touted as a promising batter across formats. Two years later, Brook is part of the leadership group. It speaks volumes about the kind of almost instant impact he has had on the game. He did concede that 'this has happened in a very short period of time. "I'm very happy with how I have played over the past few years," he said. "We are doing really well in Test cricket and I'm enjoying every bit of it."
While Brook made his debut in the beginning of the Bazball era in 2022, a lot of his super seniors hadn't enjoyed their time in England creams in the few years leading up to it. Joe Root, the former captain, had presided over a wretched record of one win in 17 games. It culminated in a root and branch review of English cricket as several senior figures either walked or asked to leave.
Brook inadvertently touched on what changed between the earlier set-ups and now. "It’s tough for bowlers to be spot-on every ball, and with our style, if they miss even slightly, we try to capitalize," he said on the visitors' bowlers.
Right now, no team in world cricket scores as many boundaries as England, especially when the ball is there to be hit for four. In a case of risk v. reward, the batters are enthused by the higher returns on investment on offer. It's very much a case of a 'they miss, we hit'. Sometimes, it's also a case of 'even if they don't miss, we can hit'. Brook is very much the leader of this doctrine. Since his debut against South Africa, he leads for most sixes (42) as well as the man with the highest strike rate (88.84, minimum 300 runs).
He reckoned that the surface at Edgbaston could aid batters to once again showcase their destructive abilities. "Historically, Birmingham can be a bit flatter but might offer more to spin as the game progresses," he said.
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