Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara urged Harry Brook to tweak his technique after the England batter suffered another bowled dismissal on Thursday (July 10).
Brook was brought to the crease on day one of the Lord's Test against India at 153-3, following the dismissal of Ollie Pope for an uncharacteristically slow innings off 44 off 104 balls.
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But England soon went from three down to four down as star India quick Jasprit Bumrah got one delivery to nip back from outside off, beating Brook's defence and knocking back the off stump to send him back for 11. At Edgbaston, Brook was also done in by incoming deliveries, Akash Deep dismissing him bowled and lbw in the first and second innings respectively.
On commentary, Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara recommended that Brook alter his technique slightly, saying he was not a fan of the current world No.1's setup.
Sangakkara: Not a fan of Brook batting outside off stump
“He [Brook] always sets up outside off stump, and it's worked for him so far,” Sangakkara said. “But I'm not a fan of someone batting outside off stump. It just opens up too many opportunities for fast bowlers, pad and stumps, and it also aligns you too straight. I would much rather the Joe Root way, stay [with the] bat inside his stumps and actually align and hit the ball where it should be going.”
Brook was well outside off stump while facing the ball that dismissed him in the first innings at Lord's.
“It's kind of a trade-off. It's worked for him so far but now in two Tests we've seen that the Indians have used it as an opportunity. And now he's got to counter it. Either he's got to bat outside his crease, where he can get closer to the ball; use his feet, but those are options that he's tried before.
"I'd much rather he bat on middle, perhaps slightly closer to off stump if he wants. That's where he starts, but staying beside the ball, inside his stumps to me is always better because it opens up the off side and also allows you to play balls that seam into the bat better.”
Also read: Explained: Why Dhruv Jurel replaced Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper on day one of Lord's Test
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