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England batter Harry Brook made a return to competitive cricket after four months in Yorkshire’s first match of the County Championship Division Two against Leicestershire and smashed a 69-ball century as it didn’t feel like he was away from the game. Brook, who had taken a break as his grandmother was not well and eventually passed away, missed the Test series against India and then the 2024 edition of the IPL for the Delhi Capitals but made himself available for Yorkshire from the start of the County Championship so that he could stay with his family in grief.
Riding on Ben Mike’s 113-ball 90 and fifties from Marcus Harris and Tom Scriven, Leicestershire posted a strong first-innings score of 354 after being put in to bat first. Yorkshire came out all guns blazing with Adam Lyth scoring a a run-a-ball ton. Yorkshire did lose regular wickets in the top order but Lyth and Harry Brook’s partnership kept them afloat.
The fourth-wicket partnership of 128 runs between Lyth and Brook came off just 92 deliveries as the Shan Masood-led side gave it back to Leicestershire. Lyth was dismissed immediately after his century by Scriven but Brook carried on and completed his hundred as well off just 69 balls.
Brook put on a clinic as even though Ben Mike delivered with the ball as well for Leicestershire taking a couple of wickets in the same over, Brook didn’t stop as his attractive knock containing 14 fours and a couple of sixes took Yorkshire’s score beyond 250. It will be a confidence-boosting knock for Brook given he will be in the England side’s squad for the T20 World Cup and will be looking to prepare well through the County season.
Yorkshire declared soon after to let Leicestershire bat again but it was already too late and the match was drawn.
Brook’s absence for Delhi Capitals has given Tristan Stubbs a permanent spot in the middle-order and the 23-year-old Proteas batter has been in smashing form for the 2020 finalists having played knocks of 43*, 54 and 71* at a strike rate of 193.33.
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