Who said what - Top 5 reactions on Harry Brook's snub from England's World Cup squad

On Wednesday, August 16, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced their 15-member provisional squad for the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India from October 5.

The selected group of players will also play the four ODIs that England will host against New Zealand next month.

In their naming of the squad, however, the English management has made some big calls. The provisional squad includes the name of perhaps one of the greatest modern-day all-rounders, Ben Stokes, who has come out of his ODI retirement after holding talks with England's limited-overs skipper Jos Buttler.

On the other hand, the selection committee, headed by Luke Wright, has raised a few eyebrows by overlooking talented batter Harry Brook. The 24-year-old has been one of England's best batters since his debut last year.

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Although Brook has only played three ODIs thus far, his contribution in other formats, especially in Tests, has been quite fantastic. Interestingly, many believe it was the return of England’s Test captain Ben Stokes to the ODI set-up that may have led to Brook’s exclusion.

Owing to the surprising omission of Brook from the squad, several former cricketers and pundits have voiced their opinions on the matter on social media and TV.

On that note, here are the top five expert reactions to England's snub of Harry Brook from their 2023 ODI World Cup.

#5 Jofra Archer

Apart from Harry Brook, Jofra Archer is another player that hasn't been named in England's provisional squad for the mega event in India.

Archer, who has been going through injury issues for some time now, was taken by surprise when he got to know that Brook had been dropped in ODIs. While talking with BBC Sport during the live coverage of a league game at The Hundred, Archer received the news.

English broadcaster and former cricketer Isa Guha asked Archer for his thoughts on this year’s Hundred competition. However, the English pacer was unable to answer the question as he processed what he had heard a few minutes earlier — about Brook's omission.

Archer said:

"Sorry, I want to go back to that. I didn’t even realise that Brooky was not there. Yeah um… sorry, can you say that again? It’s just got me a bit stunned, can you repeat the question please?”

Brook and Archer could travel as reserve players. Though, even in the best-case scenario, Archer will only be fit for the second half of the tournament.

#4 Michael Atherton

Renowned cricket broadcaster and former England batter Michael Atherton also shared his opinions on the selected squad and sympathized with Brook for his snub.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Atherton said:

"Harry Brook is the unlucky one. That will be the bone of contention I think for many people looking at the squad - how a terrific young player like Brook can't get in there. It really is a consequence of the Stokes selection and the fact he has come out of retirement. Then, how do you get him in?"

Atherton also believed that playing in another World Cup, especially with England as the defending champions, would be great for Ben Stokes.

#3 Kevin Pietersen

Much like Jofra Archer, Kevin Pietersen was also stunned after coming to know about England's decision. The former English middle-order batter voiced his opinion, saying that he was "flabbergasted" over Harry Brook's exclusion.

Speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage of The Hundred, Pietersen said:

"I’m absolutely flabbergasted that he cannot make England’s World Cup squad, flabbergasted, because he is pure quality. I suppose that’s not sitting on a fence, that’s giving an opinion."

Since his debut in 2022, Brook has been compared to Pietersen quite a few times. Just like Pietersen, who looked to dominate opponents during his playing time, Brook is quite authoritative in his approach.

#2 Luke Wright

Luke Wright and Rob Key were part of the selection committee [Getty Images]

Luke Wright, who headed England's selection committee, gave his reasons to leave out Harry Brook from the World Cup squad. The former English opener discerned that it was a pretty difficult decision to exclude a talented batter like Brook.

As reported by the Evening Standard, Wright said:

"It’s as hard a decision as you’re ever going to get. No doubt he’s someone we couldn’t think any more highly of. Everything’s going brilliantly with Brooky. There’s no denying what a superstar he is, and what a huge future he’s got with us in all forms. That’s the incredibly tough decision we’ve had to make."

Wright is a former T20 World Cup winner with England when he helped the team lift the silverware in 2010.

#1 Harry Brook

The man himself, Harry Brook, shared his thoughts after missing out on the provisional squad for the World Cup.

He affirmed that it was disappointing for him to miss out but that he was trying to move on. In an interview after playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred at Lord’s, Brook said:

"Obviously it’s disappointing, but I can’t do anything about it now, you’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore."

He added:

"I’ve not had much conversation with (coach) Matthew (Mott) or (captain) Jos (Buttler). They said with Stokesy coming back, I was probably going to miss out this time. He (Stokes) is one of the best players to ever play cricket, so I can’t really complain, can I?”

In his List-A career, Harry Brook has scored 429 runs at an average of 30.64 across 15 innings. This includes two fifties and a hundred.