England batter Harry Brook stated that the hosts are determined to chase down any target India sets in the ongoing second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. While conceding that England are currently behind, Brook maintained that the match remains open, citing India’s batting collapses in the Leeds Test as grounds for optimism.
Brook, who scored a superb 158 on Day 3 (Friday, July 4), shared a 303-run stand for the sixth wicket with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, who remained unbeaten on 184. England had resumed the day at 77/3 and quickly slipped to 84/5, before Brook and Smith staged a remarkable recovery.
However, the team suffered another collapse, losing 5 wickets for just 20 runs and were bowled out for 407. At the end of Day 3, India were 64/1, with a commanding overall lead of 244 runs. In the post-day press conference, Brook admitted England are in a tough spot but insisted they remain confident of winning the Test.
Speaking to reporters, he said (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo):
“I think everybody in the world knows that we’re going to try and chase whatever they set us. We’ve obviously got a big task at hand tomorrow morning and we’ll try and get a couple of wickets early on and try and put them under pressure.”
“Obviously, they are in front of the minute, but if we get a couple of early wickets in the morning… you never know how this game can go. As we’ve seen last week, we got 7 for 30 runs and then 6 for 40 runs at Headingley and then they’ve done the same to us today. Everything happened so quickly and you never know how the game can go,” the 26-year-old added.
“Never Experienced a 90s Dismissal Before”- Brook Reflects on Leeds Miss
Prior to his outstanding century in Birmingham, Harry Brook had posted scores of 99 and 0 in the opening Test at Leeds. It was the first time he had ever been dismissed in the 90s, whether in domestic or international cricket. The right-hander acknowledged that he was eager to make up for the missed opportunity by delivering a substantial innings in the second Test.
“I was definitely hungry to get a hundred today. I’d never been out in the 90s before. It was disappointing, but I should have got a pair last week, so I can’t complain too much,” he said.
The England batter also praised Jamie Smith for his outstanding innings and expressed delight in watching his partner confidently take on the Indian bowlers.
“He tried to change the momentum back in our favor and it worked for a long period of time. It was awesome. It was so good to watch from the other end. I felt like he could hit four or six every ball. I was just trying to get him on strike,” Brook explained.
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