Captain says bowler ‘is working on a few things’
England v Sri Lanka ODIs come a year before World Cup
Harry Brook is hopeful that Brydon Carse will break back into his England white-ball teams once the fast bowler is clear of his ongoing disciplinary, describing him as a “very good mate” who is “working on a few things behind the scenes”.
Carse has recently discovered he will not face a criminal charge for the late-night incident in Derby last month that led to him being briefly handcuffed. But while technically available for selection, the 31-year-old has not featured in England’s squads since that night as he awaits the outcome of an investigation by the Cricket Regulator.
Asked before Tuesday’s first one-day international against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street about the prospect of Carse returning down the line, Brook, England’s white-ball captain, replied: “He’s a very good cricketer. He’s been bowling extremely well for Durham. When his time for selection is up, that will be a debate.
“I’m very good mates with Carsey. I’ve spoken a lot with him. Those conversations are private. I think he just needs time away from the international scene. He’s working on a few things behind the scenes and hopefully he’ll be ready at some point in the future.”
More broadly, Brook believes the call for greater off-field professionalism has permeated through the England squads, both from Brendon McCullum, the white-ball head coach, and Stephen Fleming ahead of his new role with the Test side.
Brook, who fell short of standards himself when punched by a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand last winter, said: “The words Baz [McCullum] said the other day [were that] we want to be one of the fittest and strongest teams in the world. And to be able to do that we need to be preparing well on and off the field.”
On top of Carse’s ongoing absence, England are missing Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran because of injury. Adil Rashid, another first-choice pick, will also miss the first match – and potentially the series – as he awaits scan results on an issue with his bowling hand sustained during the whitewash-sealing T20 win at Old Trafford on Saturday.
In come Tom Banton to open and Jamie Overton with the ball, while Rehan Ahmed, 16 years younger than Rashid at 22, gets his chance as the team’s wrist-spinner. Will Jacks, the new vice-captain, and Joe Root will provide finger-spin options.
England go into the series opener with momentum from the 3-0 sweep of Sri Lanka that took them to No 1 in the T20 rankings. However their ODI ranking of seventh – one spot below the tourists – shows there is work to be done in 50-over cricket, even having come from 1-0 down to win both their series this year.
Brook said: “We’ve gone undefeated in the T20s and I think we can take a hell of a lot of confidence from that going into this ODI series. It’s more of the same. As a squad and a unit, we’re trying to play a higher octane style of cricket and we’re really trying to put them under pressure with bat and ball.”
The ongoing deployment of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue at the end of a long, all-format summer for the pair is also notable. The next 12 months are about building towards the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa, meaning full-strength ODI XIs where possible and T20 series likely to involve more squad rotation.
As an all-format player but one who limits his franchise cricket to the Hundred, Brook intends to plough through. His stated aim in this ODI series is improved strike-rotation during middle overs and playing against spin in particular, having enjoyed the input of Kevin Pietersen as the team’s new white-ball mentor.
Asked if Pietersen has also helped him to deal with criticism over shot selection and some of his brain fades in the past, Brook replied: “I haven’t had those conversations with him yet, but I’m sure it will come up at some point.
“I think the way I’ve performed in my career so far, it’s almost a compliment to get those opinions. I’ll be trying my hardest to be the best player I can possibly be.”
While Pietersen is with the senior white-ball side, his former teammate Jonathan Trott has been named as head coach of the England Lions for tours of the Caribbean, South Africa and Sri Lanka this winter. Trott, who previously coached Afghanistan, replaces Andrew Flintoff after he stood down last month.
England XI v Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (w), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
