England's new white-ball captain Harry Brook to skip franchise leagues
What's the story
Harry Brook, the newly appointed white-ball captain of England, has announced his decision to not play overseas franchise leagues for the foreseeable future. The move comes as he looks to manage his workload well. The 26-year-old cricketer was appointed the ODI and T20 skipper earlier this week, succeeding Jos Buttler after England's disappointing ICC Champions Trophy campaign. Here are further details.
Commitment
Brook prioritizes international cricket over franchise leagues
Brook, who recently pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), reiterated his commitment to international cricket. "England is the way forward for me and franchise cricket can almost take a step back for a little while," he told BBC. "I enjoy playing cricket for England more than anything else, so to lose a little bit of money here and there - I'd take that any day to play for England."
Future fixtures
Brook's plans for upcoming England series
Brook has said he wants to play every series for England but admitted he might need a break at times. England's calendar features Test series against India and Australia and white-ball series against West Indies, South Africa, Ireland, and a tour to New Zealand. After the Ashes in January, there's a white-ball tour to Sri Lanka ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Franchise future
Brook's stance on franchise cricket and IPL
Despite his decision to not play overseas leagues, Brook confirmed his participation in The Hundred for Northern Superchargers. However, due to rules introduced for this year's IPL, he will be barred from that competition for two years after his withdrawal. This comes after England's disappointing performance in white-ball cricket and their early exit from the Champions Trophy.
Captaincy
Brook's leadership approach and team's performance
Brook has stressed on his wish for players who can put the best bowlers under pressure, manipulate the field at different stages of the game, and score big runs. He also stressed on his expectations from bowlers to work toward modes of dismissals and have plans for each batter. Under Brook's leadership, England looks to improve their white-ball performance after losing 10 out of their 11 games this year.
Stats
Brook's ODI and T20I numbers
As a player, Brook has an impressive record with 816 runs at an average of 34.00 in ODIs, including a match-winning century as captain against Australia last summer. In T20Is, he has scored an average of 28.50 with a top score of 81* not out. He owns 798 runs from 44 matches (37 innings). He was part of the team that won the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.