LAHORE: England coach Brendon McCullum has defended Harry Brook’s captaincy following the team’s failure to reach the final of the ODI tri-series in Pakistan, saying the young captain grew from a demanding assignment.
England lost their opening three matches before finishing with a 55-run consolation victory over Sri Lanka in Lahore on Thursday.
Brook’s side appeared headed for another defeat after Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake scored a century, but England rallied to bowl out their opponents for 331 while defending a target of 387.
“He will have learned a lot from being thrust into a situation like this, where the game moves at breakneck speed and every decision can win or lose a match,” McCullum told Sky Sports.
The 45-year-old praised Brook’s tactical awareness and leadership, saying the batter had earned the support of the dressing room.
“He is one of the best tactical captains I have ever come across,” McCullum said.
“He has such an astute brain. He wears his intelligence lightly externally, but he is a very switched-on man and a very switched-on cricketer. He has the respect of the entire dressing room.”
“He leads them. They follow him. He is interactive with his leadership. It is not just him out there on his own. He calls upon many other people as well.”
England’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup will continue with a white-ball tour of Australia in November.
Batter Jacob Bethell and fast bowler Jofra Archer are expected to return after missing the Pakistan tri-series, while former captain Jos Buttler remains sidelined as he recovers from hamstring surgery.
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