White-ball skipper Harry Brook wants his England team to keep playing ‘high-octane cricket’ when they face Sri Lanka in the first of three one-day internationals on Tuesday.
Brook was named player of the series after England overpowered Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20 internationals – and now attention turns to the 50-over format.
England v Sri Lanka, ODI fixtures and start times
First ODI (Tuesday September 22) – Durham (12.30pm)
Second ODI (Thursday September 24) – Headingley (12.30pm)
Third ODI (Sunday September 27) – The Kia Oval (10.30am)
There is a 50-over World Cup in 2027, and white-ball coach Brendon McCullum has added Kevin Pietersen to his coaching team as a specialist mentor.
KP enjoying himself
Brook admits his entire squad are ‘buzzing’ to have Pietersen’s experience to draw upon, and told a press conference on Sky Sports: “KP has been very good.
“He’s enjoying the role, he’s enjoying himself.
“He’s been good to have around, little chats here and there. Away from the game, sat having a coffee and a chat about how he sees the game and how he thinks it should be played.
“He was a hero to many of us growing up, so it’s good to have a man of his calibre in our side.”
Spin specialist
Brook added: “He [Pietersen] was a hell of a player against spin, alongside [Joe] Root and [Marcus] Trescothick.
“They were very good players at playing spin, so it’s about picking their brains and asking them what worked for them and putting that into your game.”
England secured a 2-1 ODI series victory over India with a 27-run victory at Lord’s on July 19 – and they have made three changes to that team, with Tom Banton moving to opener, Jamie Overton in the all-rounder role and Rehan Ahmed replacing the injured Adil Rashid.
England team to play Sri Lanka in first ODI:
Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
Brook admits his team are full of confidence after winning the T20i series so convincingly, and added: “We can take a hell of a lot of confidence from being unbeaten in the T20s.
“Going into this ODI series we want more of the same.
“We’re trying to play a higher-octane style of cricket and put them [the opposition] under pressure with bat and ball.
“We want to be one of the fittest sides in the world.
“To do that, we’ve got to work hard on and off the field.
“We are trending in the right direction. There are a few touches here and there which we can improve.”
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