By Simon Wilkes
Harry Brook poured praise on his England one-day international team after they started a new era under his captaincy with a thumping win over the West Indies at Edgbaston.
Brook has taken over from Jos Buttler as captain of the white-ball team but is yet to name a vice-captain.
The Yorkshire player starred with the bat and in the field in Thursday’s first ODI with the Windies, scoring 58 off 45 balls in a knock that included five fours and three sixes.
Fantastic four
At Edgbaston, Brook was one of four England batters to post half-centuries (Ben Duckett 60, Joe Root 57, Jacob Bethell 82) as the hosts racked up 400-8 in their 50 overs.
The skipper then took five catches as the hosts skittled their opponents for 162 to seal a resounding 238-run win in the first of three ODIs.
After the match, he told Sky Sports: “That was a phenomenal performance from the boys.
“There were four of us that got 50+ scores. If one of us kicked on from there, that [would have been] a pretty complete performance.
“We’ve got so much power – [Jamie] Smith put them under an immense amount of pressure in the powerplay and that set the tempo beautifully.
“That allowed people lower down the order to try and hit it out of the park. The tempo of our innings was spot on.”
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Catching the eye
Bethell’s dazzling innings of 82 off 53 balls particularly caught the eye, with the Barbados-born batter hitting eight fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 154.72.
The 21-year-old, who received the player of the match award for his efforts, admitted that the experience of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and getting guidance from India legend Virat Kohli have massively improved his game.
He banked three half-tons in this year’s edition of the IPL from a position of number three for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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Better player
After the match, Bethell said: “I learnt a lot from the IPL; I feel like a better player because of that experience than I was two months ago.
“Virat was great with information and how he goes about batting. All I had to do was ask him.
“I enjoy batting in the middle order.
“I think when I back myself when I’m in I can get a lot of balls to the boundary, so I’m not too fussed about dot balls. I try to hit strong shots and get off to a strong start.”
England take on the West Indies in the second ODI on Sunday, June 1 (11am) at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
The series concludes on Tuesday, June 3 (1pm) at The Kia Oval in London.
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