England's legendary pacer James Anderson has made a bold prediction about Harry Brook's future in Test cricket. Anderson believes that Brook possesses the batting talents of both Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen and has the potential to become England's best Test batter. Brook achieved a remarkable feat by scoring a triple-century against Pakistan in the first Test at Multan. Notably, it was his first triple-hundred in any format and a memorable highlight of his career. Brook's innings showcased his aggressive approach as he consistently kept Pakistan's bowlers on the defensive.
Brook cracked 317 runs from 322 balls riding on 29 fours and 3 sixes. He also formed a valuable partnership of 454 runs with Joe Root, who contributed 262 runs to the total.
Joe Root and Kevin Pietersen are widely regarded as two of the greatest batsmen to have played for England. Root recently achieved a significant milestone by surpassing Alastair Cook as England's highest Test run-scorer with a brilliant double century in Multan.
However, after witnessing Harry Brook's exceptional performance in the same Test, James Anderson expressed immense praise for the young talent. Anderson boldly predicted that Brook has the potential to surpass the achievements of both Root and Pietersen in the future.
Harry Brook is on the way to being in the top three that I've played with: James Anderson
"He's on the way to being in the top three that I've played with. It's Root, Pietersen and him. He's definitely got all the attributes to overtake them," Anderson stated on the Tailenders podcast.
Anderson went on to highlight that Brook possesses the qualities of both Root and Pietersen, which he believes will make him the greatest England batsman ever.
"He's just got everything. Without trying to big him up too much because he's still really early in his test career, I do think that he's got the perfect amount of each of those two and that's what will make him the best that we've ever had," the former pacer added.
Anderson commended Brook for his ability to adjust his batting style as needed. He noted that Brook could play aggressively when required but also had the patience to bat for extended periods, making him a formidable batsman. Anderson also observed similarities between Brook and Root, highlighting their shared passion for batting.
"But he's got the shots of both Root and Pietersen. He can destroy an attack if he wants to, he can play a longer innings if he needs to. The thing that's really similar between Root and Brook is that they love batting. They literally couldn't care less what format it is. They just want to bat," the 42-year-old concluded.
Harry Brook and Joe Root formed a formidable partnership, scoring 454 runs for the fourth wicket in Multan. Their partnership propelled England to a massive total of 823-7 and helped them take a 267-run lead. Pakistan suffered a dramatic batting collapse in their second innings and were folded for a paltry 220 to hand England a convincing 47-run win in the series opener.
