New Delhi [India], May 4 (ANI): Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor and former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has expressed disappointment over young England batter Harry Brook pulling out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Pietersen said Brook has technical flaws while facing spin in the subcontinent and he had hoped to help the 26-year-old improve.
Brook had been bought by DC for Rs 6.25 crore in the IPL mega auction last year, but withdrew before the season began, citing the need to “recharge himself” before a busy season with the England team. Almost a month later, Brook was appointed as England’s new white-ball captain, replacing Jos Buttler after the team’s poor performances in recent ICC tournaments.
Brook had also skipped last year’s IPL due to personal reasons — the death of his grandmother — and missed England’s tour of India. As per IPL rules, he has now been banned from participating in the league for two years after withdrawing twice in a row.
Brook played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023, scoring 190 runs in 11 matches at an average of 22.11. His only major knock was a century against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Pietersen said that he was “bitterly disappointed” with Brook missing out on the experience of playing the league since he wanted to work with him on correcting his technical flaws while playing spin in India.
“I told him, I was like, ‘Dude, I am gutted that I cannot work with you for a few months.’ I think that he is a star… You do not hit one ball over extra cover and the next, same ball, over midwicket if you cannot play,’ said Pietersen.
“So he can properly play, but he has technical flaws in the subcontinent — in India, in particular. I really wanted to work with him, but people make their own choices in life and you have got to respect them. He has a flaw playing spin in India — a real big flaw. Two months here, imagine what might have happened if he had fixed that?”
Brook’s overall record in India includes 310 runs in 14 matches at an average of 22.14, with two half-centuries and a best of 66. This includes his performance in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
During the recent ODI and T20I series against India earlier this year, Brook struggled against spin, scoring only 141 runs in eight innings. In all five T20Is, he was dismissed by spinners — three times by Varun Chakravarthy and twice by Ravi Bishnoi.
Pietersen said he had hoped to help Brook like he did with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in their early days.
“Root turned out to be the greatest player of spin England’s ever had. I am not saying it is because of what we did when he was a youngster, but we spent hours together batting in the nets, going through drills and practising. I love that stuff,” he added.
Pietersen has had an excellent record in India across all formats, scoring 1,876 runs in 36 matches at an average of 45.75, with three centuries and 13 fifties. His best score was 186 in a Test match in Mumbai in 2012.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals are currently in fifth place on the IPL points table with six wins and four losses. Their next match is against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad on Monday. (ANI)
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