Harry Brook has been named as England's new white-ball captain less than three years into his international career. He now faces the tricky task of balancing his leadership responsibilities with being a core part of England's Test chances across two upcoming marquee series.
It was largely a formality that Brook would be confirmed England's next white-ball captain. He was made their vice-captain over the winter, and is one of the few whose place is still solid after the Champions Trophy. None of the other options were particularly attractive – Ben Stokes hasn't played an international white-ball match since 2023, Joe Root hasn't consistently been in England's white-ball set-up since 2019, and Ben Duckett's tendency to generate headlines when speaking to the media made him a difficult pick.
So Brook got the job, and he and England management must now work out how to balance his schedule. He's England's most prized option to get into the XI across formats, but his workload has already been complicated to manage. He copped a two-year ban from the IPL when he pulled out of the competition this year to be ready for international commitments, had time out of the game last year to be with his family after the death of his grandmother, and has admitted struggles at the start of his ODI career were partly due to not having played enough of the format.
A new era begins for England’s white-ball team.#HarryBrook #Englandcricket pic.twitter.com/jf1QFiCPmE
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 7, 2025
Nevertheless, Brook's successes are key to England's results across formats. He will be a key part of their Ashes bid later this year, as well as their chances of a strong series against India. While their white-ball losses over the winter highlighted the need to prioritise the international white-ball format more, those two Test series this year are still at the top of England's priority list. And for that, they need Brook at his best.
In between then, Brook needs to bed in as captain before next year's T20 World Cup, which is actually only 10 months away, with the 50-over edition coming the following year. While Brook has been able to dip in and out of white-ball squads so far, he will need to be more of a consistent presence as captain. With Brook now England's most in-demand player, here's a look at what his calendar could look like if he plays every international match scheduled until the end of next summer.
Summer 2025
Brook's first assignment as full-time white-ball captain will likely be against the West Indies in May. England will play three ODIs and three T20Is in a friendly environment for Brook to establish his leadership. Before that, there's a one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Lord's, for which England may or may not choose to rest some of their faces who've had the most taxing winters, or are set to have the heaviest summer.
Then there's the big one, five Tests against India running from the end of June to the beginning of August. England will want Brook available for all-five of the blockbuster series, which will see huge crowds across the summer. After the Hundred break – the ECB are keen to keep their biggest stars available for much of the competition – nine white-ball matches will round out the summer, with a double series against South Africa and three T20Is in Ireland. If Brook was to play all of those, that would take his total England caps for the summer to 21.
Winter 2025/26
It won't be straight to Australia after the summer's action concludes, and Brook will likely be required in New Zealand for three ODIs and three T20Is before the Ashes begin. After that it's full steam ahead for five Tests of Ashes action, which again Brook will be front and centre of. A mere week after the conclusion of the Ashes and the England white-ball side will take on Sri Lanka, for the run-in to the T20 World Cup, which will be in February 2026.
If Brook were to play all the T20Is England have available before the next T20 World Cup, he would have a grand total of 15 under his belt as captain going into the tournament, all squeezed in alongside 11 Tests and 12 ODIs in the same period. That amounts to a maximum of 81 days of international cricket before the T20 World Cup. Given that he won't be allowed to enter the IPL auction, Brook would have a three-month rest after that tournament before the 2026 home summer, give or take some County Championship action.
Summer 2026
While next summer won't be as high profile as 2025, England will once again host four different international tours, with preparations for the next 50-over World Cup ramping up. His rest after the T20 World Cup will be broken by three Tests against New Zealand before eight white-ball matches against India. Pakistan will visit for three Tests later in the summer before another double white-ball series against Sri Lanka.
All of that comes before a winter which will see three different white ball series as well as two Tests in Bangladesh, as England brace for a year with a 50-over World Cup and a home Ashes series. While Brook's workload across the helter-skelter modern international schedule was surely thought through before his appointment, he's going to have to brace for a frantic couple of years.
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