ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting believes England batter Harry Brook must rethink his approach if he is to succeed in Australian conditions, warning that raw talent alone will not be enough Down Under.
Brook’s Ashes campaign has reflected England’s wider struggles in the series, with flashes of brilliance undermined by mistimed lapses as Australia surged to an unassailable 3-0 lead. While the stylish right-hander has accumulated 173 runs, second only to Joe Root among England batters, his returns include just one half-century from six innings, with several dismissals arriving at decisive moments.
Ponting, a long-standing admirer of Brook’s ability, feels the England No.5 has yet to fully appreciate how much responsibility his talent carries in challenging conditions.
“Look, I love Harry Brook. He’s one of the best players in the world to watch, but I think with some of his dismissals, he’s almost selling himself a bit short on how good he is,” Ponting told The ICC Review.
“He doesn’t need to do some of the stuff that he’s doing. And I guess, I’m sure it’s going to be frustrating for an English fan as well, or even some of his teammates. You know, he’s had a chance to sit back and watch Joe Root go about his cricket for the last 15 years. And to be fair, and this is no knock on Joe Root.
“Harry Brook’s got every bit as much talent as Joe Root has. You see him trying to play little lap shots off Scott Boland against a yorker that could have easily knocked his middle and leg stump out of the ground when his team needs him to make a hundred and chase down 435.”
The former Australia captain suggested that Brook’s shot selection would be causing concern within the England camp, even if those frustrations are not voiced publicly.
“I’ll be critical on that, but I don’t think I’ll be any more critical than what his teammates would be or what his coach would be, because they should be critical of those sorts of mistakes, because it’s those sorts of things that have cost them this Ashes series,” Ponting said.
“They probably won’t admit it. They won’t talk about it. They won’t bring it up. They’re very defiant with that sort of criticism.
“They’ll always come back and say, ‘Oh, that’s the way that we play, and we encourage them to play their natural games’. But you can’t do that in Australia, and you can’t do it against Australia because if you give them an opportunity, you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.
“And we’ve seen that right the way through the series,” he added.
Trailing 0-3 in the five-match rubber, England will be desperately looking to bounce back in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, as every win is crucial to keep them in the race to the World Test Championship final.