England white-ball captain Jos Buttler has not completely shut the door on Harry Brook's selection for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup. Brook, a 24-year-old explosive batter with match-winning attributes, was snubbed from England's provisional squad for the quadrennial competition. Brook's exclusion has a come as big surprise not just for the former English cricketers but also the general fans of the sport.
Commenting on Brook's exclusion, Buttler lauded the young right-handed batter, calling him a 'fantastic' and brilliant player. The Three Lions skipper also noted that Brook is the unlucky one at the moment but a lot of things can change before England's main squad for the World Cup is announced.
"There's still a long time before everyone is meant to get on the plane, so we'll wait and see what happens. We all know Harry's a fantastic player and we saw what he could do the other night. It's not like it's a surprise: we know what a brilliant player he is, he's just the unfortunate one at the moment to not be in that squad at the moment," Buttler was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Brook has enjoyed a stellar start to his international career, especially in red-ball cricket. In a short space of time, Brook has proven himself as a prolific run-scorer. The right-handed batter has played just three ODIs so far but judging him by his red-ball performances and heroics in T20 leagues around the world, Brook has all the attributes to be a consistent match-winner.
The youngster seems to have lost his place because of Ben Stokes' decision to come out of ODI retirement. Hence, the England Test captain has been named in the provisional World Cup squad, forcing Brook out of the reckoning.
"Of course, Ben Stokes coming back and being available just as a batter sort of changes the dynamic a little bit. Ben's a fantastic player to be able to welcome back, so it's a really tough selection," Buttler said on Stokes.
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