He'll Be One Of The All-Time Great Players: Alastair Cook On Harry Brook

image-leic3bedHarry Brook [Source: Twitter]

Former England batter and legend Alastair Cook heaped rich praises on youngster Harry Brook, who has left the cricket world spellbound once again by smashing his fourth Test century in his just sixth international match.

Taking the strike with England reeling at 21/3, Harry Brook launched a scathing attack on the New Zealand bowlers, smashing 24 boundaries and five sixes before rain forced an early stumps to the day. 

Former captain Cook was full of praise for Harry Brook, who finished the day 1 with an unbeaten 184 and displayed his immense talent with an impressive range of shots. 

Cook conceded that Brook's batting display was a treat to watch, with the youngster exhibiting a full array of shots. Speaking to BT Sport, here's what Cook stated: 

“I wouldn’t know exactly what to do as a captain against a man in Brook’s form, because he’s got every option covered. They quite rightly tried to bowl top of off to him, he had some luck at the beginning, a couple of inside-edges past the stumps," 

“But some of these shots you can only dream of and the confidence to play them and the skill to be able to consistently hit cleanly in the right areas - it’s been an absolute pleasure to sit here and watch a Harry Brook masterclass."  

Cook has tipped Harry Brook to be a future superstar across all formats of the game. He went on to say that Brook has the makings of a long-term Test player and could easily go on to feature in 100 Tests.

"184 not out on day one of a Test match after being 21-3, striking at over 100, it’s extraordinary when you start breaking it down like that. I’ll be astonished if he doesn’t play over 100 Test matches. I’m expecting him to be able to dominate Test cricket, 50-over cricket, 20-over cricket, and be one of the all-time great players - without putting too much pressure on him!" 

While appreciating Harry Brook for his current form, Cook acknowledged that playing cricket without any breaks could take a toll on the young cricketer's body and health, which could lead to exhaustion at some point.

“He’s not going to average that [over 100] for the course of his career, it is a purple patch of extraordinary form, you get them if you’re lucky and he’s been able to drag his out quite long and he’ll be wanting to continue."