Rob Key has explained why it was "too soon" for Harry Brook to take on the England Test captaincy, after appointing Joe Root to the role ahead of him.
Root was announced as Ben Stokes' successor earlier this week. His first stint as captain ended after five years in 2022, following which Stokes took on the role. Stephen Fleming will take over as full-time Test head coach for England's series in South Africa this winter, after Brendon McCullum stepped down earlier this month.
Brook was made England's Test vice-captain ahead of the winter's Ashes series, having taken over as white-ball captain following Jos Buttler's resignation last year. However, when Stokes was stood down from the second Test of the summer against New Zealand, Brook was not chosen to lead in his absence, with that responsibility falling to Root.
Speaking today [July 31] on why he overlooked Brook again, Key said: "In an ideal world, what you want is the coach has a say in a captain. Coach first, then you work out the captain – I explained that to anyone that had a chance of becoming England captain. During the process, you are obviously speaking to different coaches and [the captaincy] is one of the questions you start asking, getting a feel for where they are at. Stephen [Fleming] and I spoke a lot about who we felt the best person was.
"It's just too soon for Harry Brook. This feels like the right time for Joe Root. He has the chance to work with what I believe is the best coach that will complement him as well. Those two will be a great complementary pairing to take England forward. He is our best ever batter, and now has the chance to captain the side without any of the stuff he had to deal with last time. I'm just so glad he gets that chance."
Having started his Test career with a prolonged period of exceptional returns with the bat, Brook is currently in the middle of his first form dip. He has attracted criticism for the manner of his dismissals both over the winter in Australia and during the series against New Zealand earlier this summer, which has drawn speculation over the added burden of captaincy.
There's also his disciplinary record, which likely played a part in being passed over for further promotion. Brook was in danger of losing his white-ball captaincy over the winter, after he was involved in an altercation with a bouncer in a nightclub in New Zealand in the early hours of the morning before an ODI.
"I think he is still developing as a player and a person, really," said Key. "The Test match job is the biggest job in cricket in England. I think that it is perfect now with Joe where he can take this ship forward as the most senior player by a long way, and Harry can continue on the project he has done in the white-ball job, and continue learning to become an outstanding leader of a cricket team.
"You've got the 2027 World Cup, all of those things. At some stage Harry Brook will be an outstanding Test captain of England cricket. It just doesn't feel the time was right now."
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
