Matthew Mott says Yorkshireman is an ‘incredible player’ and ‘a lot can change’ before tournament opener against New Zealand on Oct 5
England have dropped their biggest hint yet that Harry Brook is on the verge of a World Cup reprieve, with head coach Matthew Mott saying “there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before we play that first game”.
Brook was a shock omission from the provisional World Cup squad after Ben Stokes reversed his ODI retirement but a series of striking performances in the Hundred and for England have kept him in the picture. He could not further his case in Tuesday’s final T20 at Trent Bridge, making just four, but looks increasingly likely to come into the square.
Changes can be made until Sept 28, but England could be tempted to bring Brook into the squad for the four ODIs against New Zealand, which start on Friday. Their World Cup campaign also opens against New Zealand on Oct 5.
Captain Jos Buttler said last week “you never know what can happen”, while batting coach Marcus Trescothick admitted on Sunday that the situation was causing anxiety for the likes of Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone – who both made 26 at Trent Bridge – the men whose places are at threat from Brook. But Mott, in an interview with Sky, gave Brook the most glowing endorsement yet.