Harry Brook reveals how he is dealing with ploy 'used against me my whole career' after half-century in fifth Ashes Test
Updated 04/01/2026 at 20:49 GMT
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It has been a "frustrating" Ashes series for Harry Brook, who has made starts in Australia but struggled to kick on. But he looked close to his best on day one of the fifth Test, hitting a typically fast-paced 78 from 92 balls, backed up by a typically measured Joe Root. Brook did have to navigate a tricky period, though, as Australia's fast bowlers used a familiar "ploy".
Highlights: Root and Brook lead England to strong position on rain-hit Day 1
Video credit: TNT Sports
Harry Brook produced another impressive batting performance for England on the first day of the fifth NRMA Insurance men’s Ashes series Test in Sydney.
The 26-year-old ended a rain-hit opening day on 78 not out, alongside Joe Root (72 not out), helping England to a total of 211-3.
Live coverage of the Sydney Test is on TNT Sports and discovery+, with play getting under way tonight at 11.00pm.
It was not entirely plain sailing for Brook, who is targeting his 11th Test century.
The Yorkshireman had to endure a period of short bowling from Australia's quicks, during which came the occasional miscued shot.
And Brook acknowledged the bowling tactics as a "ploy" he has grown accustomed to.
"It’s obviously a ploy, which has been used against me in my whole career," Brook said.
"I’ve experienced it a lot so far and I’m expecting to experience it a lot in the future, so I thought I’d played it all right. I could have played it better at times.
"It didn’t feel amazing today but on another day it’ll feel a hell of a lot better, so happily I just got through it and can take that momentum forward to tomorrow."
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'Partnership in fine fettle' - Brook joins Root in reaching half-century
Video credit: TNT Sports
While Brook's Test average of 55.89 is the best of any current England player, there has been criticism of his shot selection throughout this Ashes series.
He has admitted the need to occasionally tone down his aggressive, proactive approach, having struggled to consistently score runs in Australia.
"I’ve just got to be a little bit more patient and take my ones here and there and thankfully, I did that today; I did that in a couple of the other innings as well," Brook added.
"So that’s something I’ve got to think about going forward, put that into my game and look to try and be a little bit patient at times. But it’s obviously not worked this series because I haven’t scored as many runs as I would have liked.
"It has been a frustrating series. I’ve been in double figures every innings bar one and that’s what I’ve done so well in my career. I’ve managed to go on and get big scores.
"It just hasn’t happened this series and there’s obviously been periods where I’ve played them slightly differently and it’s all part of the learning curve."
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Having won the fourth Test in Melbourne to restore some pride, England will hope to kick on with the bat on day two in Sydney as they seek to finish the series with a more respectable 3-2 defeat.
"We’re in a very good position, three down at the end of play and hopefully we can make the most of that going into tomorrow," Brook said.
"When I first went in it felt like the bounce was fairly steep, but then it started to get a little bit lower and slower and it just generally feels like a good wicket out there."
Asked whether the pitch could deteriorate as the match progresses, he said: "Absolutely no idea. Nobody ever knows what they’re talking about when it comes to wickets apart from the groundsman, so we’ll have to see.
"It depends on the weather, obviously, if it cracks the flags the next few days then it might break up and it might spin towards the back end of the game. But there’s a decent layer of grass on it, so it’s fairly true at the minute."
Watch and stream every ball of the Ashes live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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