Yorkshire CCC’s Harry Brook must wait to make England Test debut

YORKSHIRE’S Harry Brook must wait for his chance to make his Test match debut for England after being overlooked for the first encounter against New Zealand at Lord’s which starts on Thursday.
NOT YET: Yorkshire's Harry Brook will not make his Test debut at Lord's against New Zealand. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comNOT YET: Yorkshire's Harry Brook will not make his Test debut at Lord's against New Zealand. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
NOT YET: Yorkshire's Harry Brook will not make his Test debut at Lord's against New Zealand. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

Despite scoring over 1,000 runs in all formats for the White Rose this season, Brook has not still not been able find a place in what is a familiar-looking top six. England had already removed some of the uncertainty around their XI by teeing up the selection of Brook’s Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow batting at number five.

Yorkshire’s former Test captain Joe Root is also in the squad, as is former Yorkshire opener Alex Lees, now at Durham.

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It was hoped the 23-year-old’s impressive form would be enough to give him the nod for England, with Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson earlier this week saying he deserved his chance to make the step up on to the international stage in the five-day format.

Yorkshire's Harry Brook has enjoyed fantastic form so far this season. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.comYorkshire's Harry Brook has enjoyed fantastic form so far this season. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Yorkshire's Harry Brook has enjoyed fantastic form so far this season. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

Brook has put together a compelling case for selection by lifting his season’s aggregate for Yorkshire to 1,001 runs from 12 innings at an average of 125.12, including 10 scores of 50-plus.

“Harry is the most in-form batsman in the country at the moment,” said Gibson. “He deserves to make his debut on Thursday. “Hopefully they’ll put him in the team and let him go and bat and make runs like he’s been making runs for us. That would be amazing for him and richly deserved.”

Yorkshire will now be hoping England release Brook in time to play for Yorkshire in Friday’s T20 Blast encounter against Durham at Headingley.

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Elsewhere, Durham seamer Matthew Potts will make his England debut, picked ahead of Somerset’s Craig Overton. He will join an attack led by the two most prolific wicket-takers in English history, James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Anderson, 39, and Broad, 35, were dropped for the recent tour of the West Indies but return at the first time of asking under new captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

meaning in-form Yorkshire batter Harry Brook must wait for his chance.

England are without a host of pace bowlers due to injury, with Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher among those sidelined.

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Stokes takes over a side that sits bottom of the World Test Championship table following a run of one win in their last 17 games.

England team to face New Zealand at Lord’s: Zak Crawley (Kent), Alex Lees (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Jack Leach (Somerset), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire)

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