England batter steps up senior status with first leadership role since Under-19 World Cup
Harry Brook slammed a 41-ball hundred in his most recent match for Northern Superchargers • Getty Images
Harry Brook has been handed his first taste of captaincy since his England Under-19 days, after taking over from Wayne Parnell at Northern Superchargers for this year’s men’s Hundred.
The appointment is a significant step up for Brook, 25, who is seen as a potential successor to Jos Buttler as England’s white-ball captain, in the wake of their disappointing World Cup defences across 50 and 20 overs in recent months.
His prior captaincy experience included leading the Under-19 team in their World Cup campaign in New Zealand in 2018, but he has been given the chance to lead Superchargers by their incoming head coach, Andrew Flintoff, who has been working with the England white-ball team in an assistant capacity in recent months.
“It’s an honour to captain Northern Superchargers, and I’m really excited for it,” Brook said. “It’s always special to play at Headingley and to represent the area, and to do that as captain in the Hundred this year will be extra special.”
Brook played one of the greatest innings in Hundred history in his most recent appearance for Superchargers, against Welsh Fire at Headingley last August, an unbeaten 102 from 42 balls out of a total of 158, which helped to make his case for inclusion in the 50-over World Cup squad.
The Superchargers squad includes England Test captain Ben Stokes, as well as West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran and two of Brook’s team-mates from the recent World Cup campaigns, Adil Rashid and Reece Topley. It was recently reinforced by the signing of former England opener Jason Roy, who takes over from the suspended Brydon Carse.
“I really like the look of the squad we’ve formed, and I think there’s a lot to be excited about,” Brook said. “I can’t wait to work with Freddie and the rest of the group and hopefully it’ll be a year to remember.”
In the women’s team, Hollie Armitage will continue as captain, alongside head coach Dani Hazell, after finishing the 2023 campaign as runners-up to Southern Brave.
