Harry Brook says no amount of franchise money could take his focus away from playing in all three formats for England over the next 12 months.
Brook was this week appointed England’s new white-ball captain, succeeding Jos Buttler, a job he will have to juggle with being one of the key batsmen in Ben Stokes’s Test team in a year that features five-Test series against India and Australia. Soon after the Ashes ends, Brook will lead England in his first global event as captain: a T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Brook, who is contracted by England until the end of 2026, withdrew from a deal worth approximately £590,000 with Delhi Capitals in this year’s IPL to prioritise international cricket. As a result, the 26-year-old has been banned from the tournament for two years.
He says that with the exception of the Hundred, where he will captain Northern Superchargers, his franchise career is indefinitely on hold.
“I won’t be playing any franchise cricket in the near future and I’ll be prioritising England,” he said as he was unveiled as captain at his home ground of Headingley.
“[The IPL] haven’t told me [about the ban]. That’s the rules, so if I do get banned, fair play. That’s the rules they put in place, I’m completely committed to playing cricket for England, if that means franchise [cricket] takes a step back for a little while, so be it.
“It’s my priority. I enjoy playing cricket for England more than anything else so to lose a little bit of money here and there I’d take that any day to play for England.”
Asked if there was any financial figure that could change that, he said: “Definitely not at the minute. I just want to play cricket for England, and hopefully have a big impact on the side.”
‘I want to play every game’
Brook is set to sit out the early rounds of the County Championship in order to rest for the year ahead, and may play as little as one match for Yorkshire before the Test against Zimbabwe on May 22. He seems likely to return at Headingley against Warwickshire on May 2. He intends to play every game for England until the end of the T20 World Cup, but concedes that may not be possible.
“I hope so. We’ll find out in the next year and a half, won’t we?” he said, when asked if he would be playing every match. “I’d like to play every game but if I require a week off and that’s the best thing going forward for my game then I’m sure I’ll be allowed a week off.”
From the high of winning the T20 World Cup in 2022, six months after captain Eoin Morgan’s retirement, England’s white-ball cricket has slumped sharply into a deep malaise in recent years. Brook promised there would “be a few changes going into this summer in the way we’re going to play”.
“I’m going to be myself, as much as I possibly can be,” he said, when asked about his style of captaincy. “Be relaxed, be calm, try and have a lot of fun and enjoy it. If you play cricket for England, we’re all living that dream, as a 10-year-old looking at yourself now, you’d be absolutely buzzing and over the moon. You’ve got to try to create that environment in the changing room, remember that you’re doing a job a hell of a lot of people would want to be doing.”
Brook’s appointment as captain leaves Stokes, in the latter part of his career with injuries mounting, to concentrate on the Test team. Since becoming captain he has contended with a chronic knee issue and two series hamstring tears, the second of which he is currently recovering from.
Stokes celebrated the news, posting “Yes Brooky lad”, on social media.
Yes Brooky lad 🤟🤟 https://t.co/qfysetaopq
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) April 7, 2025
Analysis: Brook is the right call, but still a risk
England have been wise not to overburden their prized asset Ben Stokes with the white-ball captaincy in such an important year for the Test team.
Stokes is almost 34 and the injuries are piling up. Each one is more difficult to come back from. The last thing Stokes needed was for another job on his already full plate. This year’s Test cricket will define the legacy of the whole project, which is led by MD Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes. The captain needs to concentrate on his primary task.
That is not to say appointing Brook comes without risk. He is England’s best all-format batsman, and one of the first names on the team sheet whenever available.
He is currently second on the ICC’s Test rankings, and has the game to be a great of the white-ball game, too. But as yet, he has not consistently hit the heights in ODIs or T20s that he has in Test cricket. He is still working out the rhythms of 50-over cricket, where batting in the middle overs is tricky, and building a game against spin.
Now, he has to worry about running a team as well as his own game. The risk for England is that he is burdened, and it starts to seep into his Test game. Brook’s batting is almost as important to the Test team’s chances against India and Australia as Stokes.
Harry Brook says no amount of franchise money could take his focus away from playing in all three formats for England over the next 12 months.
Brook was this week appointed England’s new white-ball captain, succeeding Jos Buttler, a job he will have to juggle with being one of the key batsmen in Ben Stokes’s Test team in a year that features five-Test series against India and Australia. Soon after the Ashes ends, Brook will lead England in his first global event as captain: a T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Brook, who is contracted by England until the end of 2026, withdrew from a deal worth approximately £590,000 with Delhi Capitals in this year’s IPL to prioritise international cricket. As a result, the 26-year-old has been banned from the tournament for two years.
He says that with the exception of the Hundred, where he will captain Northern Superchargers, his franchise career is indefinitely on hold.
“I won’t be playing any franchise cricket in the near future and I’ll be prioritising England,” he said as he was unveiled as captain at his home ground of Headingley.
“[The IPL] haven’t told me [about the ban]. That’s the rules, so if I do get banned, fair play. That’s the rules they put in place, I’m completely committed to playing cricket for England, if that means franchise [cricket] takes a step back for a little while, so be it.
“It’s my priority. I enjoy playing cricket for England more than anything else so to lose a little bit of money here and there I’d take that any day to play for England.”
Asked if there was any financial figure that could change that, he said: “Definitely not at the minute. I just want to play cricket for England, and hopefully have a big impact on the side.”
‘I want to play every game’
Brook is set to sit out the early rounds of the County Championship in order to rest for the year ahead, and may play as little as one match for Yorkshire before the Test against Zimbabwe on May 22. He seems likely to return at Headingley against Warwickshire on May 2. He intends to play every game for England until the end of the T20 World Cup, but concedes that may not be possible.
“I hope so. We’ll find out in the next year and a half, won’t we?” he said, when asked if he would be playing every match. “I’d like to play every game but if I require a week off and that’s the best thing going forward for my game then I’m sure I’ll be allowed a week off.”
From the high of winning the T20 World Cup in 2022, six months after captain Eoin Morgan’s retirement, England’s white-ball cricket has slumped sharply into a deep malaise in recent years. Brook promised there would “be a few changes going into this summer in the way we’re going to play”.
“I’m going to be myself, as much as I possibly can be,” he said, when asked about his style of captaincy. “Be relaxed, be calm, try and have a lot of fun and enjoy it. If you play cricket for England, we’re all living that dream, as a 10-year-old looking at yourself now, you’d be absolutely buzzing and over the moon. You’ve got to try to create that environment in the changing room, remember that you’re doing a job a hell of a lot of people would want to be doing.”
Brook’s appointment as captain leaves Stokes, in the latter part of his career with injuries mounting, to concentrate on the Test team. Since becoming captain he has contended with a chronic knee issue and two series hamstring tears, the second of which he is currently recovering from.
Stokes celebrated the news, posting “Yes Brooky lad”, on social media.
Yes Brooky lad 🤟🤟 https://t.co/qfysetaopq
— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) April 7, 2025
Analysis: Brook is the right call, but still a risk
England have been wise not to overburden their prized asset Ben Stokes with the white-ball captaincy in such an important year for the Test team.
Stokes is almost 34 and the injuries are piling up. Each one is more difficult to come back from. The last thing Stokes needed was for another job on his already full plate. This year’s Test cricket will define the legacy of the whole project, which is led by MD Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes. The captain needs to concentrate on his primary task.
That is not to say appointing Brook comes without risk. He is England’s best all-format batsman, and one of the first names on the team sheet whenever available.
He is currently second on the ICC’s Test rankings, and has the game to be a great of the white-ball game, too. But as yet, he has not consistently hit the heights in ODIs or T20s that he has in Test cricket. He is still working out the rhythms of 50-over cricket, where batting in the middle overs is tricky, and building a game against spin.
Now, he has to worry about running a team as well as his own game. The risk for England is that he is burdened, and it starts to seep into his Test game. Brook’s batting is almost as important to the Test team’s chances against India and Australia as Stokes.
