Following an overwhelming 238-run victory against the West Indies in Thursday’s first ODI at Edgbaston, Harry Brook has urged England to put the past behind them.
Although it was against a visiting team that was careless enough with the ball to give up 400 for 8 and never in the hunt to track it down, it was still a near-perfect performance. No. 11 Jayden Seales scored the most runs with 29 not out as they ultimately surrendered to 162 all out. However, England had plenty of food as runs and wickets were shared, with top-scorer Jacob Bethell (82) and Brook (58) both scoring half-centuries, and Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton each taking three wickets as all five bowlers recorded dismissals.
The team’s worst run of form since 2000-01, when they lost 11 straight games, came to an end with the victory, ending a run of seven successive losses. Although Brook and head coach Brendon McCullum are clearly relieved to begin this new chapter with a win, the captain maintains that regardless of the distance between the two teams or the sample size, the team’s past struggles must be forgotten and inspiration must be drawn from this all-around dominant performance.
“It’s a new era,” commented Brook. We’re attempting to put the past behind us, concentrate exclusively on the future, and play each game as it comes, as I’ve stated numerous times. We can move on with confidence because we performed fairly well today.
“[It is a] Excellent beginning. It was a really remarkable start for the boys to get 400 after being put in and bowl them out for 162. I hope we can surpass that.
Brook was especially taken aback by England’s innings pace, which had previously been a source of contention because several members of the team had not been exposed to the 50-over format. With England 90 for 1 after the first 10 overs, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith, in his new position as opener, got the innings off to a fast start. This allowed them to run at a leisurely pace of 6.43 runs per over throughout the middle 30 overs.
The game was far out of reach for the West Indies thanks to Bethell and Will Jacks, who combined for 98 off 44 deliveries for the sixth wicket in the last ten overs. When Buttler was dismissed in the 41st over, the 21-year-old was 26 off 30 and then hit 56 off his next 22 balls.
Brook gave Bethell credit for developing a strategy that worked for this extended white-ball format.
“The boys up top started beautifully and set the template for how we wanted to play and how we want to play for the rest of the series,” he stated. “We batted at a speed that was essentially perfect throughout the innings. Because of the depth in our batting, Beth and Jacks were able to go out there and perform as they did.
“You have a lot more time than you realise, and I believe that’s how everyone should play ODI cricket. I felt like I had been sitting there watching for three hours when I was out with twenty overs remaining. You can catch up quickly if you give yourself ten, fifteen, or twenty balls to get in. Bethell struck around 140 or 150, and I believe he was on approximately 40 from 40 balls (38 off 39). It’s that kind of game, and you can quickly catch up.”
Daren Sammy, the head coach of the West Indies, bemoaned his bowlers’ lack of discipline.
With a little moisture in the air and the occasional cloud in the sky, Shai Hope’s decision to bowl first appeared sound about 12:30 p.m. local time. But after the first Powerplay, Sammy thought his team was unable to control the game and ended up chasing it with their strategies and field placements.
“It’s good when batsmen play out of their skin, but when you know you have a plan and you’ve not really given it a chance to work, that’s the most annoying thing,” added Sammy.
“Our bowlers lacked sufficient discipline. It’s a wicket where you have to use the square boundaries from a straight line and be straight. In every Powerplay, our abilities fell short. Not to begin. With 90 runs in the first ten, you’re constantly on the defensive and we were chasing the game from the start. Since then, we have been playing catch-up.
India
