Wrestler ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin was the surprise inspiration for Harry Brook’s centenary celebrations as the England white-ball captain led his side to a one-day international series win against Sri Lanka with a thrilling unbeaten 136.
Brook, who was involved in a collision with a nightclub bouncer during the New Zealand tour earlier this winter, took off his gloves as he reached 100 and imitated Austin’s move of hitting beer cans together in the ring before drinking them.
“I think you can figure it out if you’ve ever seen wrestling,” said Joe Root, who reached his 20th ODI century to set up England’s innings, with Brook joining him in the 32nd over. “I think this is his way of doing that, trying to show that he wants that approval from the group. It’s through humor. That’s another area why he’s going to be a great leader, because he has that side too.”
“He showed his calmness, his clarity under pressure. He also showed humor. Hopefully it will be received in the right way. There is absolutely no malice behind it. He’s just trying to joke with his teammates.”
Root praised Brook’s captaincy after Sri Lanka made a fast start in their chase of 358. “They scored an absolute flier in that second innings and he was very calm and knew what he wanted to do,” the 35-year-old said. “A team throws you a few punches and him being able to stay calm and keep everything under control was another example of why I think he will be an excellent captain.”
The pair had worked closely together in the nets on Monday, taking their work into the middle, their unbeaten partnership worth 191. “We were just talking about angles, using our sweeps, the ability to pull the ball from different lines, perhaps slightly unconventional to what you do in England or other parts of the world, that can be very effective here.
“If you have his skill and his skill level, he can put it into practice straight away and it’s just phenomenal to see how he takes that from yesterday to today. And that’s what we want from every team: you want to share ideas and experiences and if you can, you can complement the guys around you and help them, that’s your role as a senior player within the team.”
“I enjoyed watching it from the other side and I’m sure everyone else enjoyed watching it in the stands and on TV too.”
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