Ahead of the first Test of the Ashes series, England batter Harry Brook conveyed his intention to acknowledge Nathan Lyon’s well-executed deliveries, but at the same time want to put the Australian spinner on notice.
Lyon is likely to be on the receiving end of some aggressive batting tactics in the Ashes. He finished the last cycle of the World Test Championship as its leading wicket-taker with 88 scalps.
But the 35-year-old’s record won’t stop England from going after him with their new aggressive style of play called ‘Bazball’.
“If he bowls a good ball then I’m going to respect it. But other than that, I’m going to try and take him on. He could get a lot of wickets, but hopefully, we’re going to hit him for a lot of runs,” Brook was quoted by the ICC website.
“I’d like to think I’m a player who can find gaps and hit different gaps, I try and play all around the wicket. I’ll see whatever field he has; I’m sure they’ll probably start with everybody up and we’ll go from there.”
Brook has enjoyed a remarkable start to his Test career, averaging 81.80 from his seven Tests, having scored 818 runs from 11 innings at a strike rate of 99.03, including four centuries, all during the ‘Bazball’ regime.
“I probably wasn’t thinking I was going to have that start, but I’d take it every day of the week. It’s been a whirlwind six months really, the best winter I could have ever asked for and long may it continue.
“I’m looking forward to the Ashes. Australia is one of the best teams in the world off the back of a World Test Championship win, and I’ve always wanted to play against the best players in the world and see how good I really am.
“I’m looking forward to facing those boys and challenging myself against them and whatever plans they have against me,” he said.
But there could be some pressure on the English batter after a relatively disappointing stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He scored a superb century early in the competition but ended the IPL having scored just 90 runs in his other ten visits to the crease. However, Brook isn’t perturbed by that lack of runs and isn’t expecting it to have any knock-on effect on his Ashes performances.
“It’s a different format, different environment. I’ve said plenty of times that this environment’s the best I’ve been in and I’m going to go out there and be fearless,” he said.
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