Harry Brook has confirmed that his absence from cricket for personal reasons will extend to the upcoming Indian Premier League following the death of his paternal grandmother Pauline, who he described as his “rock”.
Brook, 25, withdrew from the England squad for undisclosed personal reasons in January the day before they were due to fly to India for a five-Test tour. He has now revealed that it was because he had learned his grandmother had fallen ill. She has since passed away.
He has now pulled out of his contract with his new IPL team, Delhi Capitals, for this season, which is due to begin next Friday. Brook was picked up by Delhi at the IPL auction in December for around £400,000, having played for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season.
Pauline Brook had become a legendary figure on the English cricket circuit since her grandson broke into the England side in 2022, regularly watching his games and collecting awards on his behalf, as recently as late last year.
She was the Brook family matriarch, and the house she lived in with her late husband Tony backed onto Burley-in-Wharfedale Cricket Club, 12 miles north-west of Leeds, where Harry learnt the game.
‘My attitude to life was shaped by her’
“I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL,” Brook wrote in a statement on social media. “I was so excited to be picked by Delhi Capitals and was so looking forward to joining up with everyone. Whilst I don’t think I should need to share my personal reasons behind this decision, I know there will be many asking why. So I do want to share this.
“I lost my grandmother last month – she was a rock to me and I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home; my attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather. When at home, there would hardly be a day go by that didn’t include seeing her.
“It makes me so happy that she was able to see me play cricket for England. I’m proud that she could collect some of the awards I have won over the last couple of years when I couldn’t be there and I know she enjoyed doing that.
“I made the decision to leave the India Test tour the night before we flew Abu Dhabi to India because I was told for the first time that my grandmother was ill and didn’t have long left. Now that she has passed my family and I are grieving and I need to be around them.
“Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental well-being and that of my family, honestly nothing is more important to me than family. So whilst this may come as surprising to some, I know it’s the right decision for me. I’m young and hope have many, many more years of cricket to come which I intend to make the absolute most of.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I have received, especially from the ECB and Delhi Capitals, thank you.”
England missed Brook in India, given he averages 62 in his first 12 Tests. It is unclear when he will next play, with England’s next engagement being a T20 series against Pakistan in May before the World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States, with the Test team’s summer not starting until July, when they face West Indies.
Either way, Brook will be straight into the England XI in all three formats whenever he is available again.
His withdrawal continues a theme of England players missing out on this year’s Indian Premier League. Test players Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Mark Wood are all sitting out having played last season, while Surrey pair Gus Atkinson and Jason Roy have also withdrawn.
Of the Test squad that played in India, only Jonny Bairstow is playing in the IPL, capping a long Indian winter that started with a tough World Cup campaign.
The smaller English contingent at the IPL could add some extra spice to the start of the County Championship season on April 5, with spots up for grabs in Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s “refined” Test side, as they look to recover from a disappointing end to the tour of India.
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