Harry Brook is sitting in Christchurch, but in some minds he might as well be at Lord’s already, fielding questions about next summer’s Ashes. He is having none of it.
“We’re in New Zealand,” he says. “I’m the white-ball captain. We’ve got a game tomorrow night. And that’s all I’m thinking about.”
The message is clear enough: the Ashes can wait. Right now, England begin a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, Brook’s maiden assignment as limited-overs captain, and he wants his players – and, frankly, the media – to keep their eyes on that particular ball.
Like I said. We’re in New Zealand now.
If that sounds rehearsed, it probably is. Brook learned the hard way that a throw-away line can snowball in seconds. Telling Indian supporters he had “shut up” their crowd in 2023, then lamenting in 2024 that “who cares” if a batter is caught at the rope, cost him social-media skin. The 2025 version appears more measured. At Friday’s pōwhiri, the traditional Māori welcome at Hagley Oval, he spoke for the squad, thanked elders, and earned a quiet nod from head coach Brendon McCullum. Small moment, big impression.
Rooted in New Zealand
There is symmetry here. Ben Stokes was born in Christchurch. McCullum is, well, McCullum. Brook’s first Test hundred came at Wellington; another followed in Christchurch. Now his first tour as England captain also unfolds here. Even his sounding board for the mind game, Gilbert Enoka – the former All Blacks mental-skills guru – is a Kiwi.
“He’s awesome,” Brook says of Enoka. “We’ve actually just done a session with him now for an hour or so. To have him in the ranks, just to be able to pull him for a chat for five or 10 minutes is awesome.”
If that double-use of “awesome” feels un-scripted, good. Brook is trying to keep the dressing-room language natural, even as he adjusts to fresh responsibility. He was named vice-captain of the Test side last month, yet here the badge is fully his. Tactically, that means deciding who bats where, and when. Philosophically, it means persuading a group accustomed to Jos Buttler’s calmness that his own rhythm is worth following.
Flexibility, but on his terms
A question about Jacob Bethell’s spin game prompts Brook to talk about juggling left- and right-hand combinations.
“I haven’t liked doing that in the past,” he admits. The implication: it can feel like letting the bowlers dictate. But he has changed tack. “But whatever’s best for the team at that stage is vital. And like I said before, having them little chats with Gilbert with everybody heading in the same direction, knowing that things might change here and there is vital for the side.”
Brook’s personal repertoire is expanding too. The roly-poly Dilscoop-ramp – the shot that lit up the Hundred – could be parked. Entertainment is fine, he says, but only if the match situation justifies the risk. England have not brought him here to audition for TikTok highlights; they need runs, leadership, and some closing of a gap that has opened since their World Cup win in 2022. New Zealand, beaten soundly in that final, would enjoy a little pay-back.
Mitchell Santner, who captains the Black Caps in white-ball cricket, expects a tight series: “England move quickly under new leaders, but we like our own conditions. Early wickets here, it’s different to Adelaide or Cardiff.” Brook listens, smiles, lets the comment hang. Later he says only that England’s seam attack “have looked sharp in the nets”, which is about as close as he gets to a boast.
Job descriptions
His predecessor, Jos Buttler, permitted himself golf on off days. Brook, not a natural early riser, has taken to beach walks with bowling coach Neil Kimmance. “I probably needed the air,” he concedes. Morning coffee in Sumner beats doom-scrolling Ashes speculation.
Returning to the cricket, the new captain wants to see:
• Powerplay intent – but no reckless slogging.
• Spin match-ups managed on the field, not just on laptops.
• Young players trusted with crunch overs.
Simple ideas, though carrying them out against Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson at Hagley Oval is another matter. Brook’s side train under floodlights tonight; McCullum stresses clarity rather than volume. “They know how to hit balls,” the coach mutters to staff, “they need to know which ones not to hit.”
Analysing the noise
England’s white-ball stock dipped after last year’s T20 World Cup semi-final exit. Their top three struggled for rhythm, and death bowling was patchy. Brook believes tighter planning – field settings that change ball-to-ball, not over-by-over – will reduce those leaks. It is hardly rocket science, but execution counts.
So does ignoring what he calls “Ashes chat”. Brook admits to sneaking a peek at fixture lists, but insists he cannot think of Josh Hazlewood “getting sent to the moon”, a daft rumour that did the rounds online. He laughs it off, the way a captain should: ours is the game tomorrow, not the one in eight months.
Pressed again, he plays a stronger forward defensive: “Like I said. We’re in New Zealand now.”
Perspective, but also ambition
Privately, Brook sees the next ten months as decisive. A Champions Trophy in Pakistan looms, followed by those five Ashes Tests. Captaincy in one format, vice-captaincy in another – plenty of bandwidth. Yet Enoka’s advice is to “shrink the moment”, treat each match as its own world.
Team-mate Will Jacks buys in: “Harry’s direct, but not heavy. He’ll back you if you swing at one in the slot, and he’ll tell you straight if you leave a gap at point. That’s what lads want.”
Coach McCullum repeats the point later: “He’s young, he’ll make errors, so will I. It’s cricket.” Words delivered softly, as if reminding himself.
First things first, then. The series starts under lights, a cool northerly off the Port Hills. England’s kit man lays out shirts. Little details: Brook’s bears a fresh ‘C’. The job, he knows, is to earn that letter, not hide behind it.
For now, he keeps the to-do list short. Score, lead, learn. Let the Ashes noise look after itself.
