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Harry Brook claims he was not tempted to choose a
shorter contract in order to maintain his franchise options after agreeing to a
three-year deal with England “as soon as they called”.
Only three players from England signed three-year
central contracts with the ECB: Joe Root, Mark Wood, and Brook. As an IPL
millionaire last year after being selected by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 13.25
crore, Brook is 24 and highly sought after on the franchise circuit, in
contrast to Root and Wood, who are both in their 30s and would have valued the
assurance that comes with the duration of the deal.
However, Brook claimed that in spite of the wealth
available globally, there was not even the slightest consideration of a
negotiation with England when Rob Key called him.
“Straight away as soon as England called I was
going to sign the contract,” Brook said, one day out from the second ODI
against the West Indies. “I’ve wanted to play for England all my
life.”
Six players were given the option of signing
three-year contracts; Brook, Wood, and Root accepted the offer; Jofra Archer
and Jos Buttler chose two-year contracts; and Test captain Ben Stokes took a
chance on a one-year contract, reasoning that central contracts might be worth
more when new terms are finalised the following year.
Being probably the best batter of his generation,
Brook’s dedication to England helps the national team manage the workload of
one of their most valuable assets. Brook acknowledged that he deserved a
vacation after a challenging World Cup campaign.
“Obviously England made that decision but I’m
happy to be out here to be honest,” Brook said of the potential to have
had an extended rest. “It’s a different lifestyle. I’ve been waking up at
six o’clock every morning and jumping in the sea so it’s been an enjoyable tour
so far.”
Despite a relentless workload, Brook has put his name
into the auction for the IPL which, coming off the back of England’s five-match
Test tour there in January, will mean he’ll have spent the best part of six
months from the start of October to the end of May in India.
“In India you can end up sitting in your hotel
room with not much stuff to do,” Brook said of the cricket-mad nation
where the celebrity effect takes things up a notch and can make social media a
particularly difficult place. “I’ve been off social media for a while now.
So anything I stumble across, I delete it from the phone…I think that’s
helped my game, helped my mental health and everything, to be off social media
and seeing all the negativity that brings.”