England cricket team’s selector Marcus North revealed the reason behind not choosing Harry Brook as the captain of their Test team. Notably, during the New Zealand Test, Ben Stokes sent shockwaves amongst fans and pundits alike by announcing his sudden retirement from international cricket. With Stokes’ retirement, one question that loomed over was the cricketer who would lead the Three Lions in the unlimited format. However, the ECB re-appointed Joe Root as the skipper of their Test team, making his comeback to the position after three years.
It raised questions as to why selectors overlooked Brook and got Root back at the helm of the team. While Managing Director Rob Key earlier stated that giving Brook the captaincy of the format would risk overburdening him, now, selector Marcus North has also broken his silence and revealed the reason behind the selection and appointment.
Marcus North Reveals Reason Behind Not Picking Harry Brook as England’s Test Captain
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “I think Harry Brook is obviously a fantastic player for us in all formats. Incredibly important. I think his leadership in the white-ball format is maturing by every series. I think we have seen that through our T20 side.” North went on to say, “Getting to number one in the world during the summer albeit we have, I think we have slipped back to number two. But we are certainly one of the best teams in the world in T20 cricket.”
He further stated, “He is doing a fantastic job there with the eye on the World Cup at the back, end of next year working with Brendon, that’s a key focus.” The selector stated that managing all three formats would be a huge responsibility for Brook, which could have an impact on his performance. “And doing all three formats is a huge ask for any captain. I have no doubt that the time will come for Harry. But we are very blessed that we have got someone like Joe, and he is going to do such a great job this time around.”
Notably, the ECB recently hired Stephen Fleming as the Test coach of the side and Joe Root as the skipper of the side.
