England youngster Hary Brook impressed one and all with his stunning batting display in the recently-concluded third T20I of the ongoing seven-match series against Pakistan. The right-handed batter lit up the National Stadium in Karachi with his unbeaten 81 off 35 balls, helping the tourists pile up a massive 219/3 on the board in their allotted 20 overs.
During his scintillating knock, Brook was hit by Pakistan speedster Haris Rauf with an unplayable bouncer. However, the reaction of the bowler grabbed maximum eyeballs and impressed both English and Pakistani fans as well as the broadcasters.
The incident occurred during the 17th over of England’s innings, when Brook gave himself some room and attempted to pull a short delivery down the leg-side. But the batter missed the ball, and the white leather got trapped into his helmet grill.
Brook’s helmet indeed spared him from what could be a nasty injury, as the ball was in such force that it became lodged between two bars of the grill. Brook appeared confused for a moment, wondering where the ball had gone, before Rauf ran towards him and hugged the batter.
Former England cricketer Mark Butcher, who was on air when the incident took place, said, “The game is being played in terrific spirit.” Notably, Rauf and Brook were teammates at Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars in 2022.
Here is the video:
"Caught in the grille"
Brook gets a hug from Rauf after the sharp bouncer 🤝#PAKvENG | #UKSePK pic.twitter.com/UZRljMQt9C
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 23, 2022
Speaking about the match, England, after posting a humungous total, restricted Pakistan to 158/8 to win the contest by 63 runs and take a 2-1 lead in the series.
“It was very nice to get out there and get a match-winning performance in tonight. It was quite similar to the other night; every pitch has been similar. The key was having a solid game plan and sticking to it; get on the front foot as often as you can. He’s so good against spin, it’s ridiculous, and I was trying to get him on strike as much as I can [on Duckett],” said Brook after the match.
