Harry Brook has hailed Brendan McCullum as the best coach he has worked with in his career. The England batsman made his Test debut under the former New Zealand captain in 2022 and has thrived since then, scoring 3,130 runs in 35 matches at an impressive average of 55.89, including 10 centuries.
Despite England trailing 1-3 in the ongoing Ashes series, Brook has consistently stood out, becoming the second-highest run-scorer behind Travis Head. From nine innings in five Tests so far, he has amassed 310 runs at an average of 44.28, which is 80.51.
Brook continued his fine form in the ongoing Sydney Test, remains unbeaten on 78 off 92 balls at stumps on Day 1 and put himself in a strong position to register another century. The young batsman credited McCullum’s coaching style for his success and said the freedom and support he received under his guidance allowed him to express himself and flourish at the highest level.
“I enjoy playing under Baz and (Ben) Stokes and it’s been the highlight of my career so far. Baz gives you so much confidence, he’s the best coach I’ve ever had,” Brook told Test Match Special.
BEST PITCH IN THE SERIES
Brook also praised the SCG pitch, calling it the best of the series so far. On the opening day, he and Joe Root put on 154 runs for the fourth wicket to help England reach 211 for three in 45 overs. Brook added that with Australia lacking a specialist spinner, England have a solid chance of challenging for a Test win.
“It’s certainly the best pitch in this series. Australia don’t have a spinner and probably thought they would do more than they did. Generally a good wicket.”
“It would be nice to win and go home 3-2. We’ve got to stick to our processes this week and work on our layoffs. There’s no reason we can’t win it,” added Brook.
England endured a shaky start with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley falling early, but Joe Root and Harry Brook leveled the innings, mounted a strong recovery and steered the team into a commanding position by the end of the game.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
January 4, 2026
