 side continues to be a talking point. He was initially left out of the squad before replacing the experienced Jason Roy at the 11th hour. Hussain doesn't know whether Brook will bat at No.6 - with Liam Livingstone also in contention - but believes skipper Jos Buttler already knows his top five. The ex-captain thinks Dawid Malan will open the batting alongside Jonny Bairstow, followed by a middle order of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Buttler. Mirror Sport asked Hussain if England's decision to axe Roy for Brook evoked memories of the 1999 World Cup, when he replaced Nick Knight on the eve of the opening game. That tournament was a disaster for England, as they were knocked out in the group stage on home soil. Hussain laughed in response before adding: "Not at all... I think they pretty much know five of their top six, to be honest." England's top order was obvious four years ago, when they won the ODI World Cup for the first time under Eoin Morgan. "They still know it's going to be Bairstow, Malan, Root, Buttler... it's whether Harry Brook plays. They've obviously picked him, but how do they get him into the top six and have all their bowling options? They're not quite where they were, but they're certainly not 1999!" England's biggest selection dilemma was deciding between Brook and Roy, as the latter played a crucial role in their 2019 World Cup triumph. Roy missed the recent ODI series against New Zealand after struggling with back spasms and will only feature){kind=link}
England have travelled to India to defend their Cricket World Cup title after defeating New Zealand in the final at Lord’s four years ago under previous captain Eoin Morgan
Nasser Hussain is happy with England’s preparation for the Cricket World Cup – but he’s still unsure what role Harry Brook will play.
Brook is one of England’s most exciting batters after scoring more than 1,000 runs in his first 12 Tests and winning the T20 World Cup last year. Yet the Yorkshireman’s place in the one-day international (ODI) side continues to be a talking point. He was initially left out of the squad before replacing the experienced Jason Roy at the 11th hour.
Hussain doesn’t know whether Brook will bat at No.6 – with Liam Livingstone also in contention – but believes skipper Jos Buttler already knows his top five. The ex-captain thinks Dawid Malan will open the batting alongside Jonny Bairstow, followed by a middle order of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Buttler.
Mirror Sport asked Hussain if England’s decision to axe Roy for Brook evoked memories of the 1999 World Cup, when he replaced Nick Knight on the eve of the opening game. That tournament was a disaster for England, as they were knocked out in the group stage on home soil. Hussain laughed in response before adding: “Not at all… I think they pretty much know five of their top six, to be honest.”