Speaking after Northern Superchargers’ match against London Spirit on August 18, Harry Brook expressed disappointment after missing out on England’s World Cup squad.

England announced their provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup on August 16, marking the return of Ben Stokes to the ODI set-up one year after he retired from the format. Stokes’ return meant that England did not have room for Brook, the young 24-year-old batter who rose through the ranks rapidly to quickly become one of England’s leading all-format prospects with the bat.

Brook debuted in T20Is early last year; in Test cricket in September 2022; and in ODIs in January 2023. He has had a phenomenal start in the longest format, averaging 62.15 after 12 Tests.

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He has a decent record in T20Is as well, with an average of 26.57 and a strike rate of 138. However, he has played only three ODIs so far, though he slammed a 75-ball 80 against South Africa in one of them.

However, with Stokes’ return, the axe had to fall on one of the batters, and Brook was the unfortunate one. The decision, while logical, raised a few eyebrows.

Brook spoke about accepting the decision and moving on: “Obviously it’s disappointing but I can’t do anything about it now. You’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore.”

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Brook added that coach Matthew Mott and captain Jos Buttler had already hinted at his possible omission: “They said with Stokesy coming back I was probably going to miss out this time. He is one of the best players to ever play cricket, so I can’t really complain, can I?”

Among the three formats, Brook has played 50-over cricket the least – a total of 18 matches in six years. He thinks that might have played a role in him not getting picked over someone like Dawid Malan, who has been one of England’s best ODI batters in the last couple of years.

“I haven’t had much opportunity to play one-day cricket, whether that be for Yorkshire or England. And although I’ve played a lot of T20 cricket, I don’t know if I’ve done as well as I have in the past in the last six months, so that might have had an effect.”