Harry Brook admitted he is in the midst of a battle against the bouncer after surviving Australia’s short-ball tactics to hand England a strong start in the final Ashes Test.
Brook shared an unbeaten partnership of 154 alongside Joe Root, England’s highest stand of the series, as the Yorkshire pair guided the tourists to 211 for three at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Root looked serene throughout his knock of 72 not out while Brook was involved in a livelier contest on his way to 78no from 92 balls.
Australia deliberately probed his reputation as a ‘happy hooker’ by banging the ball in at head height and came close to unseating him on a handful of occasions.
There was a mis-hit that came close to a caught-and-bowled chance, a top-edged pull that landed agonisingly between two converging fielders and another that skidded through to fine leg after bouncing just short.
But Brook soaked up the barrage and hit back with a huge six off Cameron Green that briefly threatened to take a chunk out of the big screen.
The exchange summed up Brook’s strengths and weaknesses but, crucially, he lived to tell the tale after bad light and rain cut the day short at just 45 overs.
“It’s obviously a ploy which has been used against me in my whole career: I’ve experienced it a lot so far and I’m expecting to experience it a lot in the future,” he said.
“I could have played it better at times. It didn’t feel amazing today but on another day it’ll feel a hell of a lot better, so I’m happy that I got through it and can take that momentum forward.
“I’ve got to be a little bit patient at times, whether that’s taking my ones instead of trying to hit boundaries, then so be it. It’s obviously not worked this series because I haven’t scored as many runs as I’d have liked.”
Brook effectively put an early end to Australia’s gambit with his thunderous up-and-under blow off the expensive Green.
“I play that shot a lot in white-ball cricket. The wind was obviously going that way, so I just felt like everything was set up for me,” he said of his decisive counter-punch.
“My hands were coming through quicker when I started trying to go aerial and if I get a little bit of bat on ball, then most of the time it’s going to go for six.”
Australia’s assistant coach Daniel Vettori revealed the hosts have been racking their brains for ways to keep Brook quiet, an effort which had previously kept him to just one half-century in the first four Tests.
“Harry puts pressure back on teams all the time, our planning is probably most extensive for him because of the array of shots he has,” he said.
“Any time you go to that short-ball strategy you’re prepared for the scoreboard to tick over a bit quicker, particularly with Harry who’s more aggressive and takes it on. It’s a difficult art to master, continually hooking.
“There were some opportunities but he scores runs and that makes it a lot harder for us. It’s a fine line how hard you go for and how long you go for to get the reward.”
Play will start half-an-hour earlier at 11pm GMT on day two in an attempt to claw back some of the lost time.
