- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,574
"Shaheen Shah Afridi led from the front and he will only get better in the future" : Harry Brook
Harry Brook was a name that many in Pakistan may not have heard of when the 7th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off in Karachi on 27th January. However, by the time the final ball of Lahore Qalandars innings was bowled in the final against Multan Sultans on 27th February, the city of Lahore and indeed the world had taken notice of the tremendous batting talent of the 22-year-old Yorkshireman.
Reflecting on his debut season in the PSL in an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Brook explained how despite strict restrictions imposed by the presence of COVID-19, he still managed to enjoy his stay in Pakistan.
“The Pakistan trip was all good fun. Obviously, our movement was restricted, and we were in a fairly strict bubble, so we couldn’t do much else except to train and play games. We were mostly in our hotels which was a bit frustrating but all in all, it was a good trip for me. I had a few overseas lads with me, so I spent quite a bit of time with them playing table tennis and board games and had a good time and to top it all we won the tournament which was quality. All in all, the lads were really good and welcoming, and I really couldn’t have asked for a better team environment.”
Given his inexperience in the role, Pakistan’s premier fast-bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi’s appointment as captain of the Lahore franchise had initially raised some eyebrows. The young pacer, however, had other ideas as he proceeded to lead his side to their first ever PSL title and also confirmed his class by becoming the top wicket-taker in the competition with 20 wickets. For Brook, playing under the young captain was an interesting experience, made more memorable by Shaheen’s passion to succeed.
“It was great playing under Shaheen’s captaincy, made more enjoyable by the fact that he is very passionate about the game. I felt that he led the side very well and all he wanted to do was to win which is a great trait in a captain. He is a world-class fast bowler and to play alongside players like that was a really good experience for me. In my view, he continued to make better decisions as the tournament went on, but the most important aspect of his captaincy was that he led from the front, and I do feel that he will only get better in the future.”
The attraction of playing in T20 Leagues for younger players lies in the opportunities to improve by playing alongside some of the top names in world cricket and this is why for Brook, participation in PSL was an experience he will cherish for some time to come.
“To play alongside some of the best players in the world was simply awesome, and in that sense having Rashid Khan in our line-up was an unbelievable experience. I only played a few games alongside him, but we all know that he is an absolute class player and does well in every competition he plays in. Fakhar Zaman was incredible in the way he batted in PSL 7 to win the Batter of the Tournament award and then there was Haris Rauf. He bowled absolute thunderbolts throughout the tournament, and we are really looking forward to having him here in Yorkshire later this year. I did have the distinct pleasure of facing him in the nets once, and let me tell you, it wasn’t much fun at all!”
Throughout the 7-year history of the competition, overseas cricketers have praised the quality of PSL and Harry Brook expressed similar sentiments about the tournament which has grown in stature since its inception in 2015.
“The standard of cricket in the PSL is just unbelievable. Every team seems to have at least one top-quality fast-bowler and an equally good spinner so coming in as a batter, is a bit of a challenge. The pitches were a little skiddy and had low bounce, so you had to play a lot on the front foot which probably wasn’t that appealing when you had balls being bowled at 145kph. Overall, the standard of cricket was phenomenal, and it was a good experience for me.”
With 264 runs in 10 games, scored at an average of 52.80 and a strike rate of 171.42, Harry Brook demonstrated the enormous talent at his disposal during PSL 7 and was one of the key contributors to Lahore Qalandars’ title win and as has he explained, the secret behind his success as a batter was simple.
“My aim is always to hit the ball hard and find the gaps, but most importantly is to reduce the number of dot balls to a minimum. As far as boundaries are concerned, they come naturally the longer you stay at the wicket. This is my natural style of play where I dislike playing dot balls and like to rotate the strike. I also know that I am good enough to hit boundaries in areas where the bowlers don’t want me to which I feel is a big strength of mine”
Full houses in the Lahore leg of PSL 7 became a huge talking point as the tournament progressed. The deafening noise added to the atmosphere of the games and is something which Brook will take back as an abiding memory of his time in Pakistan.
“The crowd in Lahore was probably the best crowd I had ever played in front of in my career. There was non-stop noise and cheering and the trumpets were blowing loudly, much louder than what you get back home.”
Lahore Qalandars struggles in PSL over the past editions of the tournament had been subject of intense debate and the initial signs in this year’s edition did not look that promising but a series of brilliant performances saw them advance to the Playoffs and make their way to the final where they beat the formidable looking Multan Sultans by 42 runs. Harry Brook’s 41 not out of 22 balls in the final played a pivotal role in Lahore’s success and was clearly an innings he enjoyed.
“Winning the tournament was absolutely awesome. We know that the lads have been working towards this goal for 7 years and for me to come in and contribute to achieving this milestone was a great feeling. In the final, I was just given a free hand to play the way I wanted to and whilst we weren’t hitting the ball that well in the beginning, we did manage to get a respectable total in the end. Our aim was to get to the 160-165 mark but when we got to 180/5, we felt confident enough to feel that we could restrict Multan Sultans, especially given the bowlers we had.”
Brook has played just one international game for England, but the young batter is taking one step at a time and looking to do what he does best, which is to score as many runs as he can without worrying about future international opportunities.
“I take every game as it comes at the moment and just try and enjoy my cricket as much as possible. I don’t think too far ahead but obviously I want to play more cricket for England, whether its Tests, ODIs or T20Is. But I can only do that if concentrate and score more runs for whichever team I am representing at the moment and that’s exactly the plan.”
Harry Brook was a name that many in Pakistan may not have heard of when the 7th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) kicked off in Karachi on 27th January. However, by the time the final ball of Lahore Qalandars innings was bowled in the final against Multan Sultans on 27th February, the city of Lahore and indeed the world had taken notice of the tremendous batting talent of the 22-year-old Yorkshireman.
Reflecting on his debut season in the PSL in an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Brook explained how despite strict restrictions imposed by the presence of COVID-19, he still managed to enjoy his stay in Pakistan.
“The Pakistan trip was all good fun. Obviously, our movement was restricted, and we were in a fairly strict bubble, so we couldn’t do much else except to train and play games. We were mostly in our hotels which was a bit frustrating but all in all, it was a good trip for me. I had a few overseas lads with me, so I spent quite a bit of time with them playing table tennis and board games and had a good time and to top it all we won the tournament which was quality. All in all, the lads were really good and welcoming, and I really couldn’t have asked for a better team environment.”
Given his inexperience in the role, Pakistan’s premier fast-bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi’s appointment as captain of the Lahore franchise had initially raised some eyebrows. The young pacer, however, had other ideas as he proceeded to lead his side to their first ever PSL title and also confirmed his class by becoming the top wicket-taker in the competition with 20 wickets. For Brook, playing under the young captain was an interesting experience, made more memorable by Shaheen’s passion to succeed.
“It was great playing under Shaheen’s captaincy, made more enjoyable by the fact that he is very passionate about the game. I felt that he led the side very well and all he wanted to do was to win which is a great trait in a captain. He is a world-class fast bowler and to play alongside players like that was a really good experience for me. In my view, he continued to make better decisions as the tournament went on, but the most important aspect of his captaincy was that he led from the front, and I do feel that he will only get better in the future.”
The attraction of playing in T20 Leagues for younger players lies in the opportunities to improve by playing alongside some of the top names in world cricket and this is why for Brook, participation in PSL was an experience he will cherish for some time to come.
“To play alongside some of the best players in the world was simply awesome, and in that sense having Rashid Khan in our line-up was an unbelievable experience. I only played a few games alongside him, but we all know that he is an absolute class player and does well in every competition he plays in. Fakhar Zaman was incredible in the way he batted in PSL 7 to win the Batter of the Tournament award and then there was Haris Rauf. He bowled absolute thunderbolts throughout the tournament, and we are really looking forward to having him here in Yorkshire later this year. I did have the distinct pleasure of facing him in the nets once, and let me tell you, it wasn’t much fun at all!”
Throughout the 7-year history of the competition, overseas cricketers have praised the quality of PSL and Harry Brook expressed similar sentiments about the tournament which has grown in stature since its inception in 2015.
“The standard of cricket in the PSL is just unbelievable. Every team seems to have at least one top-quality fast-bowler and an equally good spinner so coming in as a batter, is a bit of a challenge. The pitches were a little skiddy and had low bounce, so you had to play a lot on the front foot which probably wasn’t that appealing when you had balls being bowled at 145kph. Overall, the standard of cricket was phenomenal, and it was a good experience for me.”
With 264 runs in 10 games, scored at an average of 52.80 and a strike rate of 171.42, Harry Brook demonstrated the enormous talent at his disposal during PSL 7 and was one of the key contributors to Lahore Qalandars’ title win and as has he explained, the secret behind his success as a batter was simple.
“My aim is always to hit the ball hard and find the gaps, but most importantly is to reduce the number of dot balls to a minimum. As far as boundaries are concerned, they come naturally the longer you stay at the wicket. This is my natural style of play where I dislike playing dot balls and like to rotate the strike. I also know that I am good enough to hit boundaries in areas where the bowlers don’t want me to which I feel is a big strength of mine”
Full houses in the Lahore leg of PSL 7 became a huge talking point as the tournament progressed. The deafening noise added to the atmosphere of the games and is something which Brook will take back as an abiding memory of his time in Pakistan.
“The crowd in Lahore was probably the best crowd I had ever played in front of in my career. There was non-stop noise and cheering and the trumpets were blowing loudly, much louder than what you get back home.”
Lahore Qalandars struggles in PSL over the past editions of the tournament had been subject of intense debate and the initial signs in this year’s edition did not look that promising but a series of brilliant performances saw them advance to the Playoffs and make their way to the final where they beat the formidable looking Multan Sultans by 42 runs. Harry Brook’s 41 not out of 22 balls in the final played a pivotal role in Lahore’s success and was clearly an innings he enjoyed.
“Winning the tournament was absolutely awesome. We know that the lads have been working towards this goal for 7 years and for me to come in and contribute to achieving this milestone was a great feeling. In the final, I was just given a free hand to play the way I wanted to and whilst we weren’t hitting the ball that well in the beginning, we did manage to get a respectable total in the end. Our aim was to get to the 160-165 mark but when we got to 180/5, we felt confident enough to feel that we could restrict Multan Sultans, especially given the bowlers we had.”
Brook has played just one international game for England, but the young batter is taking one step at a time and looking to do what he does best, which is to score as many runs as he can without worrying about future international opportunities.
“I take every game as it comes at the moment and just try and enjoy my cricket as much as possible. I don’t think too far ahead but obviously I want to play more cricket for England, whether its Tests, ODIs or T20Is. But I can only do that if concentrate and score more runs for whichever team I am representing at the moment and that’s exactly the plan.”
