Right-hand batter Harry Brook is set to lead the England side in the upcoming 5- match ODI series against Australia in the absence of wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler, who is set to miss the series after suffering a right calf injury. This will mark Harry Brook‘s first assignment as skipper of the national team in any format, although the 25-year-old has previously led Yorkshire in the T20 Blast and the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
The 25-year-old Harry Brook has only 15 caps in ODI cricket and said during last year’s chastening World Cup campaign in India, where England endured a woeful defence of their 50-over title, he was still “trying to figure out the format”.
Injuries and English sippers go hand in hand
England already regard the Yorkshire batsman Harry Brook as a future long-term leader and his appointment means they will have deployed a new skipper in all three international formats this season.
Jos Buttler has not played a competitive match since defending champions England lost a T20 World Cup semi-final against India in Guyana in June. Buttler, 34, suffered a setback and has been forced to miss both the three-match T20 series, which concludes Sunday, and the five-game ODI contest with Australia.
Ollie Pope took over as Test captain from Ben Stokes when the all-rounder’s hamstring injury meant he missed the three-match series against Sri Lanka, with Phil Salt leading the T20 side after Buttler was sidelined. Josh Hull, the 20-year-old left-arm fast bowler who made his Test debut in the Sri Lanka series finale at the Oval earlier this month, had been due to be a member of the 50-over squad but has suffered a quad injury and will rest ahead of next month’s trip to Pakistan.
Liam Livingstone, initially dropped from the ODI squad, has been recalled after two notable performances in a T20 campaign against Australia level at 1-1 ahead of Sunday’s decider in Manchester.
Now, with Jos Buttler being out for the rest of the summer with a calf injury sustained in July, the big opportunity landed in the lap of Harry Brook, as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) elevated the talented batter to captain for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia at home.
The 25-year-old batter is set to lead England for the first time in ODI cricket, despite having played only 15 games in the 50-over format of the game. Harry Brook himself recently admitted that he is still adapting to the challenges of ODI cricket, but the ECB is keen on investing in him.
However, Harry Brook’s leadership potential has been evident for years, having captained England’s Under-19 team during the 2018 World Cup. He has been regularly gaining leadership experience, including stepping in as Yorkshire’s captain for four matches during the 2022 T20 Blast and leading the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred tournament this year.
Under his captaincy, the Northern Superchargers won five of their six completed matches, narrowly missing out on the knockout stages of The Hundred 2024. Additionally, Harry Brook has been a key part of England’s leadership group in Test cricket, serving as vice-captain to Ollie Pope during the recent 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka. On his appointment , stand in skipper Harry Brook has opened up on his feelings about leading England in the 50- over format.
Harry Brook named as stand in captain for ODI as Jos Buttler is ruled out of ENG vs AUS 2024 ODI series
After missing the three-game T20I series against Australia, Jos Buttler has now been ruled out of the subsequent five-match ODI rubber as well. The England keeper-batter continues to recover from his right-calf injury, with Harry Brook set to captain the national team for the first time while Liam Livingstone will replace Buttler in the squad.
The 34-year-old sustained the calf injury during a practice session ahead of The Hundred 2024, ruling him out of the Manchester Originals’ squad for the entire season. The right-handed batter’s last professional outing was during the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against India in Guyana.
Harry Brook gained some captaincy experience while playing in The Hundred this year, leading the Northern Superchargers, who finished the tournament in fourth place. Left-arm seamer Josh Hull, who made his Test debut at The Oval against Sri Lanka in the final red-ball of the game of the season, has also been ruled out with a quad injury.
Meanwhile, Livingstone’s inclusion has been a welcome decision after he expressed his desire to regain his spot in the one-day side after being left out. The spin-bowling all-rounder hammered a match-winning 87 against Australia in the second T20I in Cardiff to help England level the three-match series. Livingstone last played an ODI in December 2023.
Phil Salt is leading England in T20I series against Australia in Jos Buttler’s absence
Meanwhile, Buttler’s fellow opening partner in T20Is, Phil Salt, is captaining the Englishmen in the ongoing T20I series against Australia. The home side lost the first T20I by 28 runs, but bounced back to win the second by three wickets, thanks to Livingstone’s 87 as they chased down 194.
With the bat, Salt has shown glimpses of brilliance with scores of 20 and 39, but hasn’t played a big knock. The five-match ODI series against Australia begins on September 19 at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham and will continue until September 29.