da lvbet： He hasn’t done well in limited-overs cricket down under, but given his phenomenal Test numbers, it’s going to be fascinating to see how he goes in the Ashes
da pinup bet： Matt Roller12-Nov-2025Long before the build-up to this Ashes series became a plume of hot air, Josh Hazlewood made a telling observation. Perhaps he was merely being diplomatic when describing England’s batting line-up as “unbelievable”, but his identification of a key threat was still notable: “A fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier [than others],” he said. “He’ll be a tough challenge.”Brook arrives in Australia with a phenomenal record. After 30 Tests, he is averaging 57.55 while scoring at a strike rate of 87.52; he did not score a hundred in his only Ashes series, two years ago, but still left a mark with four rapid fifties. He also holds the unusual distinction of having a far stronger record away than at home: seven of his ten centuries have come overseas.That fact comes with a significant caveat: three years into his Test career, Brook has still only played in three countries. It is a quirk of circumstance: England toured Pakistan and New Zealand in 2022-23, and then again in 2024-25. Brook pulled out of their tour to India in 2023-24 on compassionate leave.But it means that he is yet to play a Test in either of the two countries generally seen as the most challenging for English batters. As a result, his performance this winter will be scrutinised even more closely than usual: a successful series would confirm his status among the world’s elite Test batters; anything less will be held against him.Related
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This is Brook’s first away Ashes series but his fourth trip to Australia. They have been a mixed bag: as a 19-year-old he scored 1001 runs in grade cricket for the University of New South Wales; three years later he had a “horrendous” (his word) Big Bash season; the following winter, he was an ever-present as England won the 2022 T20 World Cup, but his top score was 20.His time in the Big Bash was a rare setback in his career. He arrived late due to England Lions commitments, missed two games having had “close contact” under Covid regulations, and left early to make his international debut in the Caribbean, having joined a long list of Hobart Hurricanes overseas players to struggle in purple.”Brooky was fresh onto the scene: he definitely didn’t know his game as well as he does now,” recalls Ben McDermott, who played alongside him at Hurricanes. “It won’t have any bearing on the Ashes at all. He’s come a long way since, and has elevated his game to be one of the best in your country.”His quiet campaign at the T20 World Cup in late 2022 came immediately after his breakthrough white-ball tour to Pakistan, and left him with a grim T20 record in Australia: 113 runs at 8.07 in 14 innings. “I just kept finding the fielders out on the boundary,” he later reflected.” The grounds are so big out there. I’ve been to Australia twice now and have struggled.”