Harry Brook flies out to New Zealand on Friday night for six limited-overs internationals, but he knows the real discussion back home is far simpler: will he return from Australia in January with the urn? His blunt reply could not be more Yorkshire: “I bloody hope so.”
England’s recent visits to Australia have been grim. Thirteen defeats in their last 15 Tests there underline the size of the task. Yet optimism has surfaced after news that Pat Cummins’ back problem may rule him out of the opening Test on 21 November. Australia insist the issue is manageable, though head coach Andrew McDonald admitted the captain is “running out of time”.
Brook recognises the value of any side-line advantage, while still sounding a note of caution. “He is an amazing bowler and has been for many years,” the vice-captain said at Thursday’s PCA awards, held in partnership with Toyota. “He bowls at high pace, with high skill. With him out of their side for the first game, from what we’ve seen, hopefully that plays into our hands… [But] we can’t take anybody lightly.”
England are not banking on Cummins’ absence alone; Brook points to the depth of Australian seam bowling. There are, he says, “a hell of a lot of good bowlers” ready to step in, though none quite replicate the combination of pace, accuracy and authority the skipper brings.
This winter’s Ashes will be the sternest examination of Brook’s career. His away record is outstanding—seven Test hundreds from 11 matches in Pakistan and New Zealand—but Australian pitches are unfamiliar terrain. “I don’t know what I’m stepping into,” he admitted. “I know it’s a massive thing, but I’m still trying to get over that India series. That was awesome to be part of: to play 25 days out of 25 was mega. That was the most intense series I’ve ever been part of. If the Ashes tops that, I will be a very happy man.”
Brook remembers little of the 2023 home Ashes—“I can’t even remember much about the 2023 Ashes, if I’m honest”—beyond the strong Australian bowling group England will face again. “On home soil they’ll present different challenges. I haven’t had too much experience of the pitches out there, so I have to stay in the moment as much as possible and play what’s in front of me.”
That limited experience boils down to a difficult Big Bash stint with Hobart Hurricanes as a 22-year-old (“horrendously” is his own verdict) and 56 runs in five knocks during England’s T20 World Cup triumph three years ago. For him, white-ball and red-ball cricket barely overlap. “I see white-ball and red-ball as completely different sports, if I’m being honest,” he said. “I’m going out there with a clear mind.”
His first Ashes series was a mixed bag: frenetic early hooking at Lord’s left England sliding from a dominant position, yet he steadied the side with crucial innings in victories at Headingley and The Oval, ending with 363 runs at 40.33. England drew 2-2, holding on to an unbeaten home record dating back two decades but missing the chance to regain the urn. The task now is to win in Australia—something no England team has managed since 2010-11.
Cummins’ potential absence does not guarantee anything, but it shifts early momentum. From England’s end, Brook and head coach Brendon McCullum have spoken about embracing conditions, playing positively yet sensibly. “Stay in the moment” has become the internal mantra.
Whether that will be enough remains to be seen, and Brook acknowledges as much. He has learned quickly that Test cricket in Australia can expose the smallest technical flaw. England are preparing by simulating extra bounce at Loughborough and booking longer spells against the Dukes-style Kookaburra ball. Analysts have already broken down likely replacements—Scott Boland’s unerring accuracy, Lance Morris’ raw pace, even Michael Neser’s nibble. None, though, is Pat Cummins.
For now Brook focuses on New Zealand, where he will lead a young white-ball squad. Captaincy, he believes, will not alter his approach too much heading into the Ashes; if anything, it sharpens decision-making under pressure. Those leadership skills may yet be useful if Ben Stokes’ knee troubles flare up.
So England head south understanding both the opportunity and the enormity of the job. Brook, typically plain-spoken, sums it up. Will they come back with the urn? “I bloody hope so.”
