Pakistan’s national statistics office hosted its inaugural ‘Data-Fest’ conference this week, 10 minutes from the England Hotel in Islamabad. Under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, this England set-up has shown minimal interest in numbers, but there is one figure that stands out ahead of the series decider in nearby Rawalpindi: 101.25, Harry Brook’s batting average in Pakistan.
It has been two years since Brook announced himself as a Test cricketer with an outrageous maiden hundred in Rawalpindi. He was the fourth centurion for England, who amassed 506 for 4 on the first day of their series against Pakistan, and eventually fell for 153 off 116 balls on the second morning after plundering 27 off an over from Zahid Mahmood.
He followed that innings with subsequent hundreds in England’s victories in Multan and Karachi, an extension of an impressive run of form in Pakistan that had started with a century in the 2022 PSL and continued with a breakthrough T20I series. Not since Kevin Pietersen has an England batsman made such a convincing start to his Test career.
Brook began the series with 317 in Multan on his return this month, a mammoth innings that was England’s highest in 34 years. But more than 500 kilometers away, in Peshawar, Sajid Khan was watching closely on television and noticed Brook staying back to avoid the effect. When he was called for the second Test, Sajid devised a plan to hit the ball sharply off the rough ground.
“There was a small piece outside the stump,” Sajid explained. “When he faced his first ball, I told Rizi bhai [Mohammad Rizwan] that if he plays like that again, I’ll get him out.’ Brook stayed back as Sajid predicted, looking to break through the cover, but was hit on his inside edge by a ball that stayed low and knocked his leg stump.
Brook also played off the back foot again in England’s second innings, this time against left-arm spinner Noman Ali. He sat deep in his crease at a full ball, looking to swing it over mid-on, but was fooled by the low bounce and caught lbw. With scores of 9 and 16, this was Brook’s least successful Test in Pakistan – his first without a hundred and his first defeat.
England coach Brendon McCullum smiled after the second Test when he heard that Sajid had been revealing his plans to Brook. “Did he do it? Well pitched,” McCullum said. “He is a very exciting cricketer and a great player for us as well, and he is trying to put pressure on the opposition… Sometimes when you do that, you make mistakes and you run away.”
A quiet Test immediately after three hundreds is not enough to raise long-term concerns, but Brook said on Tuesday that he has been discussing game plans against Sajid and Noman ahead of this week’s decider. “Obviously they’re both going to play a huge role on their team,” he said. “Hopefully it will pay off and I will play a big part in the game.”
Brook agreed with Sajid’s assessment of his preference for playing back-foot spin. “I like it,” he said. “It gives you a lot more time to play the spin ball. It gives you different areas to play in. I’m not saying I’m not going to do that: I’m going to try to play off the back foot, and I’m going to try to put it under pressure.”
It’s not a problem that has plagued him throughout his Test career: To date, Brook averages more against spin (67.81) than against seam (57.70). But the reason his two failures were notable was that, having missed England’s tour to India on compassionate grounds, this was the first time he had played on a pitch firmly tilted in favor of spinners.
England staged a six-hit competition ahead of their final training session in Rawalpindi on Wednesday morning, with Brook finishing second behind Rehan Ahmed. Stokes said the goal was to “boost the good vibes” after three weeks largely confined to two hotels and two stadiums, but it also served as a reminder of Brook’s devastating power.
It is easily forgotten that Brook has only played 20 Tests, such was the speed with which he became a regular across all formats for England. He has a stellar record, averaging just under 60, but remains a work in progress. “He’s a baby in the big picture,” Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie said. “He will sort things out in all conditions – good players tend to do that.”
This has been a long season for Brook: since early April, he has played more or less non-stop, making 35 matches across all formats, including eight Tests, five ODIs as stand-in captain and one T20 World Cup. Thursday’s Rawalpindi Test will finally come to an end, although it will only have a short break before England travel to New Zealand.
As a three-format player, Brook is becoming increasingly accustomed to the relentlessness of the international schedule and will soon get used to opponents targeting what they perceive as potential weaknesses. If he can overcome both hurdles and maintain his remarkable three-figure average in Pakistan, it will go a long way in helping England clinch this series.
