Harry Brook: England T20 side’s bonding time in New Zealand made it worthwhile

Harry Brook believes England’s T20 side having some bonding time in New Zealand means a rain-affected tour has been worth it after the “shambles” of a build-up before facing South Africa in the summer.

A washout at Eden Park, where just 22 balls were bowled, was the second abandonment of the three-match T20 series, which England won 1-0 after thrashing the Black Caps by 65 runs in Christchurch on Monday.

This series being played in New Zealand’s early spring and before the start of their domestic campaign has raised questions about its viability, but Brook argued the trip had been useful from England’s point of view.

The Yorkshireman revealed his enjoyment at spending a few days relaxing with his team-mates in Queenstown before the series, which he accepted was an increasing rarity for his limited-overs side.

“You don’t want to come all the way over to this part of the world and only play one game, so it is very frustrating,” Brook said.

“But we’ve gained a lot. We had that trip at the start of the series where we went down to Queenstown and had a team bonding few days.

“We spent a few days together – the white-ball squad has never had that – so to be able to spend time together and try to become good mates and having a lot of fun off the field can help you on the field.

“We’ve had a lot of fun, and smiles on the field mean we’re having a good time off the field. It’s been very worthwhile.”

Brook admitted how they prepared to take on the Kiwis was in stark contrast to facing South Africa in three ODIs last month, with the series opener at Headingley occurring two days after The Hundred final.

Having spent the previous month playing the 100-ball competition and with five players involved in the showpiece, England were denied time to switch focus to ODIs and were duly thrashed by seven wickets.

“I don’t even think we got a training session in together, which is a bit of a shambles before going into the first ODI,” Brook reflected.

England also lost at Lord’s before amassing a 400-plus total at the Utilita Bowl, which Brook hopes can be a springboard for three ODIs in New Zealand, the first of which is on Sunday at Mount Maunganui.

Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith touched down in New Zealand on Wednesday and will bolster the batting unit, while fast bowler Jofra Archer is set to arrive on Saturday and be available for the last two ODIs.

“We haven’t really had that time as a group for the ODI squad,” Brook added. “I know there’s a lot of similar faces and there’s a lot of lads playing Test cricket in the ODI side.

“We’re heading in the right direction. I thought we did well against South Africa in the summer and they played some phenomenal cricket but we can take that last game at Southampton as a stepping stone.

“If we play like that, we’re going to be a very, very strong side. Just take that momentum we got from that game into this series and we’ll be just fine.”