NEW DELHI: England's white-ball coach, Matthew Mott, has raised the possibility of rising star Harry Brook making it to the squad for the upcoming World Cup. He indicated that the defending champions' final squad is still subject to discussion and not set in stone.
Initially left out when England announced their preliminary 15-man squad for the 50-over tournament in India, Brook has continued to impress with his performances. His exclusion initially stemmed from Ben Stokes's decision to come out of retirement for one-day internationals.
However, Brook's impressive century for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, along with valuable contributions in T20 international wins against New Zealand, has reignited the debate about his inclusion in the World Cup squad. The competition for places in the squad remains intense.
Dawid Malan is considered the specialist batsman most likely to make way for Brook, although England might also consider leaving out all-rounder Liam Livingstone or dropping a seam bowler to accommodate the talented young cricketer.
With the final squad confirmation not required until September 28, there is still time for deliberation and evaluation before the World Cup begins.
"He is one of a number of players who has an opportunity to put their hand up," Mott told the BBC.
"What I would say about Harry is that what you want to see from players when they miss out on a squad, is you want them to come out and slam that door down.
"And I thought at the start of this series, and with his hundred in the Hundred, he made a real statement...
"It is still open for debate and there will be plenty of good cricket played in the next month so we'll see what that squad ends up looking like...
"It's just an incredibly hard side to select and to squeeze 15 players into it."
Mott was speaking following England's six-wicket defeat by New Zealand in the fourth T20I at Trent Bridge, where the tourists reached a target of 176 to draw the series 2-2.
England next face New Zealand in four ODIs, starting in Cardiff on Friday.
Brook is not in the squad for that series, but will likely feature in a three-match ODI series against Ireland, which would represent his last chance to impress before England fly to India.
"He may be in that Ireland squad so you can read into that," Mott said. "It's the media's job to create speculation and it's our job to put a lid on it and I think we are doing that. The players are coping with it really well."
(With AFP inputs)
