Yorkshire head coach hails Brook as he smashes unbeaten ton on his return to cricket

LEEDS: England batter Harry Brook marked his return to cricket with a 69-ball unbeaten ton for Yorkshire in the County Championship against Leicestershire. Since announcing his withdrawal from England's Test tour of India, Brook played his first competitive innings and entertained the crowd with some remarkable stroke play as he raced to 100 in just 69 deliveries. 

Brook was expected to feature in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 for Delhi Capitals but decided to withdraw from the tournament following the death of his grandmother.  He made his first appearance since England's T20 series in the West Indies in December last year.

He struck a magnificent 100* which was laced with four boundaries and two sixes against Leicestershire. "A lot of the communication was from him. We've put no pressure on him to play. He has been having lots of nets. At a time like this, he's been wanting to be around people he's comfortable with.

One of the conversations that we've had is that he just wants to play cricket with his mates again," Yorkshire head coach Ottis Gibson said according to Sky Sports. "He's got a lot of mates in the dressing room, they've played a lot of cricket together and grown up through the age-groups.

This is his comfort in a difficult time. We are the benefactors of that, and we are very grateful to have him. I think we'll enjoy watching him bat for the next four games if he carries on batting the way he is," he added. In 12 Tests for England, Brook has scored 1,181 runs in 20 innings at an average of 62.15, with four centuries and seven fifties. His best score is 186. He has also played 68 first-class games, scoring 4,248 runs at an average of 40.84, with 11 centuries and 24 fifties in 110 innings.