England will defend their World title in the coming ODI World Cup in India. They will face New Zealand in the tournament’s opener on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahemdabad. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently announced England’s provisional squad for the mega event.
It was the much-awaited return of star all-rounder Ben Stokes in the ODIs. Last year, Stokes announced his ODI retirement, but he came out of it to play in the upcoming World Cup. However, his return cost star batter Harry Brook his place.
tokes was picked, and Broom was dropped from the team. It came as a surprise to many former cricketers, cricket pundits, and fans. Because Brook was in great form and has been scoring runs for the last 12 months or so. Former English cricketer Mark Butcher was also shocked at Brook’s snub.
He went on to compare it to Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. Brook has played only three ODIs, which might have come against him. Butcher gave an example of young Sachin when he made his debut at the age of 16.
In an interaction with Wisden Cricket, Butcher said that Brook should have been picked in the squad. He stated, “This is just like Sachin shouldn’t get into India’s ODI squad because he is too young back in that day.”
Furthermore, Butcher also highlighted the work of Dawid Malan and Jason Roy. Both top-order batters have struggled recently but are still part of the squad, while Brook didn’t find a place despite his good form. Former English star added that with the form Brook is in, he should have gotten a place in the team.
Not just Butcher, but some other English stars were also shocked by Brook’s omission. However, Brook played in the IPL 2023 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad but didn’t have great stats. But his current form in the Hundred has certainly raised questions about his snub.
