Harry Brook smiles and riles India's attack with swagger and fortune
Scientists say that the typical human can recognise 21 distinct facial expressions. After seven years of Test cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has grown to know a good handful of them about as well as any man can, from awe, through disgust, to fear, sadness, surprise and all their many combinations. You would guess it's been a while since he's seen a happy batsmen looking back at him from 22 yards, but if you had the binoculars on Harry Brook first thing on Sunday morning, you could see he was wearing such a big, goofy grin that his teeth were glinting through the gloaming.
You don't want to kink-shame him, but you'd think there must be easier ways to get your kicks than to go running down the pitch to hit a man bowling 90mph bouncers. But Brook's brain seems to be wired a little differently. On the third ball Bumrah bowled him on Sunday, he decided to take two quick steps forwards and wallop it through the covers for four.
Advertisement
Related: England v India: first men's cricket Test, day three – as it happened
It was an extraordinary shot, in an innings studded with them. Brook picked up one of Prasidh Krishna's short balls from outside off and heaved it into the stands beyond mid-wicket; he walked down the pitch to launch Mohammad Siraj over the silly mid-off he's just set to try and deter exactly that shot, and even played Rishabh Pant's roly-poly scoop over the wicketkeeper to score a four off Ravindra Jadeja. It was like watching a kid copying the trick he'd just seen on TV, except he got away with it.
These aren't strokes your typical batsman could imagine, let alone execute. But then Brook is the most richly gifted shotmaker England have had since Kevin Pietersen was in the team. Time was, and not so long ago, when you would have been told off for trying them. But Brendon McCullum is the only England coach Brook has ever known – he has grown up being encouraged to play this way.
By the time the second new ball came around, India's bowlers had had just about enough of it. They already thought they'd got Brook out once when he couldn't help himself but try to hook one of Bumrah's bouncers and was caught at midwicket off what turned out to be a no-ball, and then they thought they had got him a second time when he edged a ball from Jadeja through to Pant, who couldn't hold on to the catch. They had spent all morning trying, and failing, to persuade the umpires to let them change the soft ball they'd been working with, and now they finally had a shiny new one by right.
Advertisement
They gave it to Siraj. He is one of those bowlers who likes to pick a fight, and always seems to be pissed off with his lot. The Telangana police recently swore him in as an honorary deputy constable, and he has the air of a man you wouldn't want to make ask twice to see your licence.
Siraj beat Brook once outside off, when Brook swung so hard at a cut that he threw himself off his feet, then he beat him again when he hit his inside edge and the ball ricocheted away off his thigh. He was starting to warm up, then Brook went and belted his next two deliveries for four, and he reached a boil. Siraj banged the next ball in short at Brooks's ribs, and hit him on the elbow. He followed the delivery in and, while Brook winced, Siraj stood in the middle of the pitch, staring at him. He shot him a couple of kind words – exactly what is between the two of them – and then a length delivery which Brook spanked back over his head for six.
He might as well have flicked him on the forehead. Siraj fired the next one in so quick that even though Brook missed it, it shot off his pads for four leg byes. When Siraj overcorrected himself and dropped the next one wide on the off-side, Brook hammered him for four more through point. That made it 18 off the over. And it was at this point that Pant decided everyone needed a time out, and called a trainer on to strap up his ankle. His teammates gathered in a huddle. Apart from Siraj who stood, hands on hips, staring into the distance. He looked as if he was going to blow up if anyone came within three feet of him.
Somewhere in among all this, Brook was dropped yet again when he cut one of Bumrah's away-swingers to gully. He was finally out on 99, caught in the deep. You sometimes wonder if there's a thought in his head at all, except to belt the ball. In this, at least, he is part of a long Yorkshire tradition – Geoff Boycott, Herbert Sutcliffe and Norman Yardley all got out one shy of a Test hundred in their time, too, though you have to guess they probably weren't trying to belt a six when they did it.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Heartbreak for Tommy Fleetwood After Travelers Championship Disaster on 72nd Hole
Heartbreak for Tommy Fleetwood After Travelers Championship Disaster on 72nd Hole originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Winning on the PGA Tour isn't easy. Ask Tommy Fleetwood. The 34 year-old Englishman has one of the most relaxed swings on tour, with his unique shortened follow through that looks so good it's a wonder he could ever hit a bad shot. Though Fleetwood has eight wins internationally, he has yet to win on U.S. soil on the PGA Tour. Not that he hasn't come close. Fleetwood has 41 top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour — the most top-ten finishes without a win from any player over the last 40 years. Advertisement For Fleetwood, it isn't a matter of if, but when his breakthrough moment will happen. Tommy Fleetwood on the 15th hole at the Travelers ChampionshipBill Streicher-Imagn Images That moment looked like it would happen today, but a dramatic 72nd final hole would end Fleetwood's bid for his first win. Fleetwood held a sizable lead going into Sunday, leading the field by three strokes. It was only the second time in his career he'd held the 54-hole lead/co-lead. But, that lead quickly faded at the start of the final round as Fleetwood got off to a rocky start, bogeying three of the first four holes, including two three-putts. Fleetwood also struggled off the tee early in the final found, only hitting two fairways in the first six holes. Advertisement By the ninth hole his lead had vanished after Keegan Bradley made a monster 64-foot birdie putt on the 9th hole to tie Fleetwood for the lead. Fleetwood eventually settled in and hit his stride, making a birdie at the par 3 11th hole to take a two-shot lead over Bradley. Fleetwood's lead was cut in half with a bogey on the 16th hole. He would then find the bunker off the tee on the 17th hole and deliver a clutch shot to hole-high, draining a five-footer center cup for par to carry the one stroke lead into the final hole. But it wasn't meant to be. A late club change on the 18th hole from Fleetwood left him short and left of the green, 50 feet from the hole, opening the door for Keegan Bradley who stepped through in dramatic fashion, throwing a dart from the fairway to five feet. Fleetwood would leave his lag putt outside Bradley's ball, leaving him to putt first and show Keegan the line. Fleetwood missed his putt and Bradley, having learned the break from him, made the putt on top, winning the Travelers Championship outright, snatching victory from Fleetwood. Advertisement Tommy Fleetwood would finish tied for second place with Russell Henley and extend his record to 42 top ten PGA Tour finishes without a win. Related: 4th PGA Tour Pro Golfer Withdraws from Travelers Championship Before Final Round This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
American Wins Amateur in England
American Wins Amateur in England originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Winning a 72-hole stroke-play event is hard, but winning a major amateur championship seems even more daunting with two rounds of qualifying and then six rounds of match play. Advertisement Ethan Fang of Oklahoma State University accomplished the overwhelming by defeating Ireland's Gavin Tiernan 1-up in The Amateur Championship in a 36-hole final on Saturday at Royal St. George's The 130th edition of the oldest amateur championship didn't disappoint, with a match on paper that seemed to be one-sided; Fang is seventh in the World Amateur Rankings, while Tiernan is 1,340th in the world. Through the 32nd hole, neither Fang nor Tiernan had a lead larger than 1-up, but when the Irishman from County Louth bogeyed the 33rd hole, the par-4 15th at Royal St. George's, the OSU Cowboy had a 2-up lead with only three holes remaining. That is when the East Tennessee State University golfer turned it on, making long birdie putts on the 34th and 35th holes to erase the 2-down deficit, making the 36th the pivotal hole of the match. After losing the lead, Fang didn't disappoint, winning the match with a birdie at the last to be the first American to take the oldest amateur title since Drew Weaver in 2007. Ethan Fang hits his opening drive in The 130th Amateur Championship Final, where he played for his place in The 153rd Open of the R&A 'I was hitting it well all day and I knew if I just stayed in it, some putts would drop, kind of have him work for it, and it ended up working out,' Fang said of his strategy. 'It's probably the most consistent golf I've played in my life. It's a super-long championship, it and just feels really good to finally get it done.' Advertisement Fang worked hard to get into the finals, winning his first match 1-up over Englishman Jamie Van Wyk, and then taking 20 holes to close out Scotland's Connor Graham in the round of 16. After an easy 5-and-4 victory in the round of 8, Fang had to go to the 18th hole again, winning 2-up over Callixte Alzas of France. Fang made the semifinals an easy springboard to the finals with a 5-and-4 win over Finland's Veikka Viskari. The win will propel Fang in the world rankings and open the door to the Masters, U.S. Open and the Open Championship at Royal Portrush next month. 'The Masters, The Open, I'm just glad it's all done now and I can just take a second to think about everything I did this week and just kind of enjoy it,' Fang said. Advertisement Related: Heartbreak for Tommy Fleetwood After Travelers Championship Disaster on 72nd Hole Related: Phil Mickelson Sends Message to Keegan Bradley After Dramatic Travelers Championship Win This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
The World Cup of underrated Arsenal players
Who is the most underrated player in Arsenal's recent history? Ian Stone is joined by Amy Lawrence, Adrian Clarke and James McNicholas for a special Handbrake Off, in which the panel attempt to pick the player who has done the most for the club with the least fanfare. Ian, Amy, Adrian, James and The Athletic's Art de Roché gave producer Jay names of the Arsenal players they believe should be in the conversation. The only names they were aware of pre-recording were those they submitted individually. Advertisement The players were drawn out of a hat in knockout competition style, going up against each other head to head being put to a vote each time. In the spirit of the confusing Club World Cup, the tournament began with 17 names, meaning one had to be eliminated immediately. This left the panel deliberating on what it means to be underrated… Ian: We've got to get rid of one name who we believe is so terrible that he's not underrated. James: Or that he's too rated! It's funny because by definition the most underrated players won't be on this list. Adrian: Well I've got to say I put Alexis Sanchez in there because I think he is much much better than he is remembered for among Arsenal supporters. Amy: I think he's still my son's favourite player so I think he's quite highly rated in our house. James: It's hard because 'underrated', it's all relative isn't it. You could be an average player with a lot of positive perception, it's not necessarily about you ability it's about how you're perceived. Ian: I cannot believe Alexis Sanchez is even on the table… Adrian: Don't get me wrong I rate Alexis, that's why I put him in there. I just don't think he's as rated among certain sections of the support, as he should be. That for me is the ultimate underrated player. The round of 16 began as follows… Tune in to The Arsenal World Cup of underrated players on The Athletic's Arsenal podcast, Handbrake Off to find out who the team crowned as their underrated champion, and let us know in the comments below who your choice would be. (Top photo of Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
