Brook wants to be captain 'England fans can rely on'

Harry Brook insists he wants to be a captain that "England fans and the team rely on" as we near the one-year anniversary of his altercation with a bouncer at a nightclub in New Zealand.

Brook was overlooked for the Test captaincy after Ben Stokes' international retirement this summer, while he's previously admitted that he could have been sacked as white-ball skipper for the incident in Wellington that occured just hours before an ODI against the Black Caps on Halloween last year.

Since then, Brook has stabilised an ailing 50-over side, with England winning their last three series - having lost seven of eight prior - while his T20 team currently top the world rankings.

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With just under a year to go until the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, Brook's ODI average has also enjoyed a sizeable bump as skipper, scoring 51.3 per innings with the captaincy compared to 25.2 without.

"I've learnt a lot as a captain, I've learnt a lot as a person," Brook told the Press Association ahead of England's ODI against Pakistan on Tuesday - live on Sky Sports Cricket from 8.30am (first ball 9am) - to open their tri-series which also involves Sri Lanka.

"I know it wasn't an ideal situation [in Wellington] to put myself in, but I feel as a captain and a leader I've learnt a lot.

"Responsibilities and leadership aren't just on the field, they're more so off the field as well, and actions speak louder than words.

"I enjoy the extra responsibility. I like the extra little bit of added pressure.

"I'm not going to go out there and score runs every time I bat, but I want to be the man that is in that match-winning situation who can get us over the line.

"I know there have been a few innings where I haven't managed to do that, but hopefully I've turned that corner and I can really be the man England fans and the team rely on."

Brook's Test average of 53.08 is also the highest among any England batter to have played at least 20-plus matches in more than 50 years, but former captain Stokes revealed recently he told the Yorkshireman it should be as high as 65 or 70.

Asked what his reaction was to Stokes' comments, Brook replied with a laugh: "I mean, 65 or 70 is a massive average, isn't it, wow!

"Personally I'm not that bothered about the stats, I've always said I think there should be a match-winning column in your stats - that's not there.

"I write stuff down and I try and judge myself on whether I've had a match-winning performance or match-winning impact in that specific game and I try and tally it up at the end of the year and see how well I've done."

Brook's immediate focus is on England's tri-series against hosts Pakistan, who they open their campaign against on Tuesday in Rawalpindi, and Sri Lanka, who were beaten by the hosts in the opening match on Sunday.

Every team plays each other twice, with the top two finishers contesting the final on Halloween.

The injured Jos Buttler and rested Jofra Archer are missing from England's 16-strong squad, while Rehan Ahmed was overlooked for fellow leg-spinner Mason Crane, more than eight years after his last appearance for England.

Brook added: "It's a great experience for us and with the potential of getting to a final, it gives us even more experience in those games where it's do-or-die. It's going to be one hell of a series.

"In the last six to eight months and we're certainly trending in the right direction as a squad. I think we're really building towards the make-up of the side that we want [for the 2027 World Cup].

"Me and Baz [head coach Brendon McCullum] feel like we've got a squad where if someone does go down five minutes before the toss, we're in a position where someone else can come in and fill that role perfectly well."

Watch England's tri-series opener, against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 8.30am on Tuesday (9am first ball). Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract