McCullum backs Brook's captaincy

The visitors avoid a winless campaign by beating Sri Lanka in their final match in Lahore

LAHORE:

England coach Brendon McCullum backed Harry Brook's leadership despite the team's failure to reach the final of the one-day international tri-series in Pakistan, saying the young captain had grown from ‌a challenging assignment.

England lost their opening three matches of the tournament before signing off with a consolation 55-run victory over Sri Lanka in Lahore on Thursday.

Brook's side looked set for another defeat after Sri Lanka's Pavan Rathnayake struck a century, but England rallied to ⁠bowl out their opponents for 331 while defending a target of 387.

"He (Brook) will have learned a lot from getting thrust into a situation like this where the game is travelling at breakneck speed, and you're having to make decisions which can win or lose a game," McCullum told Sky Sports.

The 45-year-old praised Brook's tactical awareness and leadership, saying the batter had earned the support of the dressing room.

"He's one of the ‌best ⁠tactical captains I've ever come across," McCullum said.

"He's got such an astute brain. He wears his intelligence lightly externally, but he's a very switched-on man and a very switched-on cricketer. He has the respect of the entire dressing room.

"He ⁠leads them. They follow him. He's interactive with his leadership. It's not just him out there on his own. He does call upon many other people ⁠as well."

England's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup will continue with a white-ball tour of Australia in November.

Batter Jacob Bethell and fast ⁠bowler Jofra Archer are expected to return after missing the Pakistan tri-series, while former captain Jos Buttler remains sidelined as he recovers from hamstring surgery.