Harry Brook praised by Brendon McCullum as boasting 'very good tactical cricket brain', as England white-ball captain bounces back from 'hard time'

Brendon McCullum has praised Harry Brook's 'tactical cricket brain' ahead of the T20 World Cup following an impressive 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka. Brook made headlines on and off the field after several rash shots in the Ashes before news broke about his altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand hours before a match. England get their World Cup campaign underway on Sunday against Nepal.

Brendon McCullum has defended Harry Brook after the England white-ball captain's mentality came into question in the wake of a difficult few months on and off the field.

Brook was fined by the ECB after an altercation with a nightclub bouncer the night before a One-Day International match against New Zealand last year.

This was followed by a chastening Ashes series for Brook, whose decision-making came under scrutiny after several soft dismissals at key moments.

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However, McCullum has stood by his captain ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, following an impressive 3-0 series win against Sri Lanka.

"He's had a hard time of late off the field, but he's a tough lad to be able to put that aside and still lead these boys in the manner that he did, and show the tactical nous that he has as a cricketer was outstanding," McCullum said, via Reuters.

"I do sometimes think that people think that Brooky's not that clever. I couldn't disagree with that more. He wears his intelligence lightly. He's got a very good tactical cricket brain.

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"He's a work-in-progress off the field. He's not alone with that and that's our job to help shepherd him through. But on the field, he's certainly excelling at the moment.

"Cricket is such a unique game because it's 12 months of the year. It can be challenging mentally for a lot of guys and cricket's got a history of issues in that space. 

"So, our job as leaders and our job at English cricket is to make sure we look after these boys."

How Brook’s winter with England unravelled

Brook is regarded as England’s cricketer with the most potential, averaging just shy of 55 in Tests while posting strong numbers in white-ball cricket too.

However, his shortcomings in England’s 4-1 loss in Australia were on full display, and Brook was called out for his shot selection in the second Test after trying to scoop his second ball.

Prior 'about to spontaneously combust' as Brook almost throws wicket away

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After coming under scrutiny for this, as well as being dismissed after wafting an expansive drive against Mitchell Starc, Brook promised to rein in the aggressive shots.

But things went from bad to worse when his attempted reverse-sweep in Adelaide went awry, sparking a collapse which ultimately consigned England to their third loss of the series.

Brook regained some credit with an instrumental 41 in England’s only win in Melbourne, but this was soon forgotten when his off-field antics came to the fore at the end of the series.

Brook had insisted he was out on his own during the bouncer altercation, but recently revealed he had lied to protect his team-mates.

Can Brook find white-ball success to silence critics?

The three-match T20 series in Sri Lanka has provided Brook with vital respite ahead of the World Cup this month.

Brook’s shrewd captaincy decisions, especially the management of his spin-bowling options, helped England win all three matches, negotiating rain delays, big chases and batting collapses in the process.

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Furthermore, the Yorkshire batter found some runs with his explosive 36 off 12 in the second T20, backing up his unbeaten 136 in the ODI series, which England won 2-1.

England get their World Cup campaign underway against Nepal on February 8, before other Group C matches against the West Indies, Scotland and Italy, as they chase a record third T20 World Cup title.

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