For the India Tests, Dan Lawrence was called up to replace Harry Brook
The preparations of the England cricket team for their upcoming five-test series were rocked on Sunday, January 21, by the news that Harry Brook will miss at least a section of the series.
An initial ECB statement specified that Brook would miss the entire series, but that detail was later removed from the ECB website. There remains a chance that Brook, who is returning home for personal reasons, will fly back out to India for the later stages of the tour. The ECB statement also asked for the media and public to respect the Brook family’s request for privacy at this time.
It is a major blow for England. Brook has been a revelation since making his Test debut in September 2022. No English batter has reached 1,000 Test runs in fewer innings than Brook since World War II, and after 12 Tests, the right-hander averages over 60 with four hundred and seven other fifty-plus scores.
Lawrence has been called up in place of Brook. The 26-year-old hasn’t represented England since the final Test in charge of Joe Root as captain back in March 2022 against the West Indies in Grenada. That said, Lawrence was a regular presence in squads across the 2023 summer without getting a game.