Harry Brook vs Shreyas Iyer - comparing their stats after 20 ODIs

Harry Brook, one of the most promising cricketers to emerge from England, is taking the world by storm with his antics, primarily against the red ball. In white-ball cricket, however, the Yorkshireman has not yet been at his best.

Although he was a crucial member of the England team that played a five-match T20I series against India recently, his returns were modest at best, with only one half-century (51), in the fourth T20I. He will be expected to do much better in the ODI leg starting February 6.

Brook is also a part of the England side for the 2025 Champions Trophy, slated to take place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates later this month. The 25-year-old will marshal England's middle order alongside fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root.

In the 20 ODIs played so far, Brook has amassed 719 runs at an average of 39.94. His strike rate - which has been his most defining feature so far - is, however, a tawdry 106 in this format of the game. He has scored one century and five half-centuries so far, with a highest score of 110* coming against arch-rivals Australia in 2024.

Comparatively, Brook's record in Test cricket is much better. He has scored 2,281 runs in the 24 games he has played so far. His average in this format of the game is a highly impressive 58.48 and his tally includes eight centuries and 10 half-centuries with a best of 317 against Pakistan.

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Shreyas Iyer had amassed 788 runs in his first 20 ODIs

Shreyas Iyer of India playing a shot during game three of the One Day International series between Sri Lanka and India at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on August 07, 2024 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Sameera Peiris/Getty Images)

India's Shreyas Iyer, a batter who has a lot of similarities with Brook given the kind of shots he plays and the tactical nous he displays, is someone who can be compared with him. Iyer also bats in the middle order and is renowned for giving his team a burst of momentum with his high-octane shots.

Both Iyer and Brook showcase high-risk, high-reward strokes when they are in good form, while their running between the wickets is particularly reinvigorating. They are both strong off the back foot, and thrive upon deliveries bowled short and wide outside the off stump.

Although Iyer can be a bit susceptible against the short ball at his body, Brook seems to have found the pull stroke easy to take on. Both these batters are elegant when they are in full flow, and often seem hard to stop by their opponents. They are also known to hit the ball a long way.

Iyer made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala in 2017. The 30-year-old was bowled for 9 on that occasion by Nuwan Pradeep. His 20th game came against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2020, in which he scored 38.

If we were to compare both Brook and Iyer after 20 ODIs, the result seems a bit swayed in the latter's favour. After 20 ODIs, Iyer had accumulated 788 runs, facing a total of 780 deliveries. His average was 46.35 and he scored his runs at a strike rate of 101.03.

Brook seems to surpass Iyer only in the strike-rate column, whereas Iyer takes the lead in both runs scored and average. The latter had also scored a century and eight half-centuries by the time he played 20 ODIs, with the first of the half-centuries being an 88 he scored in just his second game, against Sri Lanka in Mohali.

Both these batters are supposed to essay similar roles in the middle orders of their respective teams in the 2025 Champions Trophy. They will also be seen in action in the ODI series between India and England prior to that. Iyer last played an ODI in August 2024, but comes into the series with an unbeaten 137 in just his third-last game, against Pondicherry in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Brook, meanwhile, has struggled against the spinners of late, and will be keen to sort his footwork out before heading to Pakistan and the UAE. Tweakers got the better of him in his last two ODI innings as well as his last six T20I outings.