A leaner, quicker Harry Brook says that England fancy their chances of retaining the T20 World Cup.
And speed could be of the essence, as Jos Buttler’s side look to beat the weather, as well as Scotland, in Tuesday’s opener in Barbados.
Brook is back in England colours after pulling out of the Test tour to India earlier this year to spend time with his grandmother, Pauline, who fell ill in January and sadly passed away the following month.
Her death also saw Brook skip the IPL before returning to action in the County Championship in April, after a three-month break in which he made major efforts to improve his fitness.
“Obviously, it wasn’t in great circumstances, but I just tried to train as hard as possible, trying to lose a bit of weight and trying to get a bit leaner,” said the 25-year-old Yorkshireman.
“Batting in the middle order, running twos are going to be quite a big thing for my game. And in the field as well, I’ve been trying to get quicker at running over the last 12 to 18 months.”
England were frustrated by rain during their four-match warm-up series against Pakistan, with two of those games washed out without a ball being bowled. There are concerns heading into tomorrow’s opener in Bridgetown, too, with heavy showers part of the forecast.
During the last World Cup two years ago, England suffered a shock Duckworth-Lewis-Stern defeat to Ireland when rain in Melbourne interrupted their chase, and while they recovered to qualify from the group, an early washout this time around would ramp up the pressure on Buttler’s side heading into Saturday’s second game, against Australia.
“We fancy our chances,” Brook added. “We’ve got a very good side; good depth around T20 cricket. We’re confident we can bring it home again.”
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