Michael Atherton believes Harry Brook having a good series is key for England’s hopes of an away Ashes victory, but is a change in approach required after a dramatic two-day defeat in Perth?
England suffered their quickest defeat in an Ashes Test for 104 years during a disappointing series opener, where the tourists suffered batting collapses in both innings before Australia chased down 205 to claim a convincing eight-wicket victory.
Brook top-scored for England with 52 in the first innings, before his dismissal was the first of five wickets in a four-over spell, then was out for a three-ball duck in the second innings as Australia removed three key batsmen in quick succession.
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Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discuss how England recover from the shocking two-day loss to Australia in Perth
The 26-year-old’s bold and sometimes brash style saw him charge forward at Mitchell Starc early at his first innings and hit Scott Boland for a six during the opening over of the afternoon session, before Australia’s switch to the short ball proved to be his downfall.
Indecision at Brendan Doggett’s bouncer – shortly after completing his half-century – saw Brook glove behind as he attempted to pull out of the shot, while his wicket in the second innings came after pushing at a loose drive.
That wicket was part of a session where England lost nine wickets for 99 runs in just 18.2 overs, before Travis Head’s stunning century helped Australia cruise to victory, leaving the tourists trailing in the series heading into the day-night second Test in Brisbane on December 4.
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England captain Ben Stokes has urged his players not to dwell on their eight-wicket defeat to Australia in the Ashes opener at Perth
“He needs to just park the ego a little bit and realise what a supreme talent he is,” former England captain Nasser Hussain told the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
“Remember how Sri Lanka bowled to him [in the summer] when they did throw it out there? He got really frustrated and started taking an eighth stump guard and ‘you can’t bowl there to me? I’m Harry Brook.’
“You can be sure now that [Scott] Boland, who didn’t get it right first innings, he bowled nice little floaty drive balls, is going to bowl out there. Brook has to say, ‘I am not playing your game, I am too good just to be driving out there. I might do it in Adelaide, but not in Brisbane.’
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Sky Sports’ Stuart Broad was left stunned as Mitchell Starc took Joe Root’s wicket during England’s day-two batting collapse. Pictures courtesy of @7Cricket
“He needs to just rein himself in a little bit, keep that attacking instinct when they get into his areas, charge down the pitch, hit it over extra for six if you want to, cut like you do, play spin like you do. But, you must know what is coming next.
“He must have known going to Perth, they’re going to bounce him. He must now know going to the next game, they’re going to bowl that sixth-stump line. Just have a plan on what are you going to do. It’s just what all cricketers at this level, any level, have to do.”
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Nasser Hussain reflects on England’s crushing defeat in the first Ashes Test against Australia in Perth
Brook made two Test centuries during the summer series against India and has 10 from his 31 Test matches, including a triple-hundred against Pakistan last October, although the keenness to take on the short ball has often been to his undoing.
“We were saying in the summer, when he was hooking it for six, just be careful, as in Australia, on these big grounds, they’re going to go after you,” Hussain added. “It looked like he knew was it coming and in the first innings he wasn’t sure what to do.
“You have to tell yourself what you are going to do with the short ball. There’s no point saying, ‘no, I’m not going to hook’, because the moment you say you’re not going to do something – under pressure – you end up doing it most of the time.
“Tell yourself, as Starc or Cummins is running in, ‘what am I going to do when he bounces me? Duck.’ He wasn’t sure what he was going to do and that’s a technical one out there.
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Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton dissects England’s batting collapse on day two of the first Ashes Test
“Ricky Ponting noticed that Harry puts his foot on off stump wherever the line of the ball is. That makes him a very good player if he can flat bat it and he’s very strong in that area, but if it’s that in-between line and then he goes at it – like he did in the second innings – in Australia’s he vulnerable.”
Brook’s dismissal in the second innings saw him produce a thick edge off Boland, who had already got a snick from Ollie Pope in the same area, leading to questions about whether a technical change is needed to deal with deliveries wide of his off stump.
“I don’t think he [Brook] will go through a lot of data and sit in front of a laptop like a lot of players do and really work out and study where foot positions are going and stuff,” former England bowler Stuart Broad said on the podcast. “He’s a feel player.
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Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad analyse England’s bowling in their first Ashes test defeat to Australia
“He feels what he’s doing, but he adores batting and he loves batting. He wants to score as many runs as possible and he will be annoyed at himself with that dismissal in the second innings.
“He’s now not just the young kid on the block who’s got a lot of talent and we’re excited to see, he’s now averaging over 50 in Test match cricket at a crucial number spot at No 5. We need him scoring runs, he’s a really important player.
“Australia have won that battle with him. They’ve bounced him out once and they’ve bowled the seventh stump line and he’s nicked it. He’s a proud player, he won’t want that to continue and he will have to combat that.
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Stuart Broad reflects on England’s collapse in their first Ashes Test against Australia and what exactly went wrong for them to throw away a potential victory
“Now he knows what the plans are going to be. He’s a good enough player to work out how he’s going to combat that and that might be him running down the pitch more, but we’ll find that out. I don’t think he’ll make a technical tweak in this gap, it’ll just be a psychological one.”
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
All times UK and Ireland
First Test (Perth – November 21-25): Australia beat England by eight wicketsSecond Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4am) – The Gabba, BrisbaneThird Test: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (11.30pm) – Adelaide OvalFourth Test: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket GroundFifth Test: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
