Young England batter Harry Brook is pretty happy with the performance of his team in the 1st innings of the final test of the Ashes series and lauded Australian skipper Pat Cummins for his outstanding bowling on the Day 1 of the game, as he challenged the English batters with persistent line and length in the game.
The 24-year-old was the star performer for England with the bat in the 1st innings, as he batted exceedingly well in the tough conditions at the Oval. The youngster played a counter-attacking knock of 85 runs hitting 11 fours and 2 sixes to help England post a total of 283 in the 1st innings.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the end of Day 1, Harry Brook spoke about England’s approach in the 1st innings, as he said they always look for the opportunity to score runs alongside trying to soak up the pressure against the Australian bowlers and believes that it was the good score at the end of the day.
“I know it looks madness when we are out there and scoring quick but we have always had little moments where we have had to rein it in and soak up pressure [against Australia]. I do look to score, if I am just trying to survive I am pretty useless! I think we have had a good day in the end,” Harry Brook said.
The 24-year-old has been a sensational performer for England in all three formats since he made his debut against the West Indies in 2022. Brook was impressive for England in his short cricketing career in the longer format of the game as he amassed 1174 runs at an average of 65.22 with a healthy strike rate of 91.65.
When Pat Cummins Gets A Bit Off The Pitch, He Is Tough To Face – Harry Brook
Harry Brook revealed that they were happy with the 1st innings total on tough conditions as they looking to score around 250 runs in lunchtime and hailed the Australian captain Pat Cummins for his consistent bowling on Day 1, as he looks dangerous on the pitch that offers some assistance to the bowlers.
“We were thinking about 250 being a good score about lunchtime so to end up getting 280, we are pretty happy. Australia are so persistent in their lengths, particularly Pat Cummins. When he gets a bit off the pitch, he is tough to face. I felt like I got battered on the inner thigh pad all day!” Harry Brook added.
Australia is well on top on Day 1, as the bowlers tried to utilize the overcast conditions in the Oval, to rattle the England batters in the 1st innings with every bowler stepping up to pick up crucial wickets in the middle overs and the batting innings, the Australian batters played sensibly to score 61-1 at the end of Day 1.