Harry Brook’s blistering century against Sri Lanka did more than set up a crushing England win in Southampton. His 114 not out also prompted Ben Stokes to make a bold comparison with Kevin Pietersen, before the former England captain quickly clarified that he was not trying to diminish his predecessor’s extraordinary talent.
Brook took apart Sri Lanka’s bowling attack in the first T20I on Tuesday, reaching his second T20I century from just 42 balls. His unbeaten 114, which included 10 fours and six sixes, helped England post 254/4 before their bowlers completed a 119-run victory.
ENG vs SL, 1st T20I: HIGHLIGHTS
Watching from the stands was Pietersen, who has recently joined Brendon McCullum’s white-ball setup as a mentor ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Brook had already been studying the former England batter before the match, and the influence was evident as he produced the kind of inventive strokeplay that made Pietersen such a difficult batter to contain.
Stokes, meanwhile, was watching from afar and took to social media to weigh in on the comparison. “I don’t even think the genius of KP could come close to what Brook has talent-wise. You are an absolute freak, Harry. You’re mint to watch,” he wrote.
The former Test captain later softened the comparison, adding that both players were “freak talents” but that Brook was better in his opinion. The debate, however, highlighted the remarkable trajectory of England’s current limited-overs captain and the comparisons already being drawn with one of the country’s most gifted batters.
BROOK LOOKING TO PIETERSEN FOR INSPIRATION
Brook admitted after the match that Pietersen’s influence is something he is keen to embrace. The 27-year-old revealed that he had watched highlights of the England great before taking the field and believes their approach to batting shares some similarities.
“I was actually watching his highlights earlier, funnily enough,” Brook said. “He was a phenomenal player. The way he accessed different areas of the ground made it really tricky to captain and bowl to, and I’m looking forward to having a lot of conversations about that.”
Brook also wants Pietersen’s expertise to extend beyond white-ball cricket. He said the mentor could help him understand different surfaces and find ways to make his attacking style work across formats.
“That’s not just for white-ball cricket, that’s for Test cricket as well. Hopefully he can have a big impact on my career. He’s a hero to a lot of players in that changing room. We all grew up watching him and admiring his work and it’s just awesome to have a man of his calibre in the changing room,” Brook added.
A NEW CHAPTER FOR BROOK
The comparison with Pietersen comes despite the significant gap in experience between the two. Pietersen accumulated almost 14,000 international runs between 2004 and 2014, while Brook has crossed 6,500 since making his England debut in 2022.
For now, Brook’s focus is on continuing to develop his game, with Pietersen’s arrival offering another source of experience within England’s setup. The former England star’s ability to attack different areas of the ground is something Brook clearly wants to learn from.
And after an innings in which he dismantled Sri Lanka’s attack, including taking 30 runs from Dunith Wellalage’s over, Brook has given Stokes plenty of material for the debate to continue.
England will return to action against Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Thursday, with Brook’s side leading the three-match T20I series 1-0.
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