Ponting Declares Brook as the Top Test Batter in the World
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New Delhi, Dec 11 (NationPress) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting holds the view that Harry Brook from England is the finest Test batter currently in existence, expressing his admiration for Brook's approach to the longer format of the game.
On Wednesday, the right-handed batter Brook was recognized as the new top-ranked Test batter, surpassing his teammate Joe Root in the rankings, accumulating a total of 898 rating points. At just 25 years old, Brook scored a remarkable 171 runs in the first Test during England's ongoing tour of New Zealand in Christchurch, followed by scores of 123 and 55 in the second Test held in Wellington.
Brook boasts an impressive average of 89.35 in Tests played away from home, in contrast to a lesser 38.05 on his home ground, with seven out of his eight Test centuries achieved outside of England. "He probably is (the best Test batter in the world) right now. He is doing some pretty amazing things and most of them he is doing away from home," Ponting remarked.
"That marks his seventh century now away from home out of eight or nine total hundreds and it’s the style in which he accumulates runs, with class and efficiency under this new regime, that makes him a joy to watch," Ponting further commented during the ICC Review show.
Brook made his Test debut in 2022 and has since amassed 2,280 runs from 38 innings across 23 matches, maintaining an impressive average of 61.62. In the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Ponting secured Brook for INR 4 crore while serving as head coach of the Delhi Capitals.
However, Brook opted out of IPL 2024, choosing to remain in England for personal reasons. As Ponting prepares to coach the Punjab Kings in IPL 2025, he remains confident that Brook has the potential to excel in every format of cricket.
"I brought him into the IPL auction last year because I believe he is a generational talent. He is beginning to demonstrate that at the Test level and I am certain he can perform similarly across all three formats," Ponting concluded.
