Kevin Pietersen is “flabbergasted” that Harry Brook has been left out of England’s Cricket World Cup squad, while former Australia captain Tim Paine has accused Ben Stokes of picking and choosing what tournaments he plays in.
Stokes has come out of ODI retirement for England’s 50-over title defence in India in October and November, with fellow middle-order batter Brook omitted from the 15-man group despite starring for his country in the Test arena.
Former England player Pietersen told Sky Sports: “I’m absolutely flabbergasted that [Brook] cannot make England’s World Cup squad because he is pure quality. I just cannot believe it.
“I saw this guy at Headingley two years ago when The Hundred took off and I immediately saw a superstar. I saw someone playing 360, who could hit the same balls over extra-cover or midwicket.”
‘Me, me, me’ from Stokes, says former Aussie skipper Paine
Stokes will play as a specialist batter for England in India as he continues to deal with a longstanding left knee issue.
The 32-year-old initially quit ODI cricket last year, citing the packed nature of the international calendar across all forms.
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Sky Cricket expert Michael Atherton says the lure of the World Cup was too much for Stokes to turn down
Paine said on Australian radio station SEN Tassie: “Ben Stokes coming out of one-day retirement, I found that interesting. It is a bit of, ‘me, me, me’, there, isn’t it?
“It was, ‘I’ll pick and I’ll choose where I want to play and when I want to play’, and, ‘I’ll play in the big tournaments’. The guys who played for 12 months, ‘Sorry, thanks. But can you go and sit on the bench because I want to play now?’.”
Brook ‘trying not to think about’ World Cup omission
Reflecting on his omission, Brook – who is likely to be a travelling reserve for England out in India – said: “Obviously it’s disappointing but I can’t do anything about it now.
“You’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore. [Stokes] is one of the best players to ever play cricket, so I can’t really complain, can I?
“I feel like I’m playing well at the minute and feel I could potentially add value to the team. [But] there’s always something more you could do.
“I haven’t had much opportunity to play one-day cricket, whether that be for Yorkshire or England.
“Although I’ve played a lot of T20 cricket, I don’t know if I’ve done as well as I have in the past in the last six months, so that might have had an effect.”
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