sport news Harry Brook admits his shock after landing a whopping contract worth £1.325m ... trends now
Harry Brook still struggles to relate how it felt to become an overnight millionaire at last month’s Indian Premier League auction.
‘I’ve not got many words, to be honest. I thought I’d get picked up, but I didn’t think I’d get picked up for that much,’ says England’s newest global star of the £1.325million contract he now holds with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
‘One thing I would say is that I’m not motivated loads by money. Obviously, it’s a nice touch, but I just want to play cricket for the best teams and play for England as long as I can. Yes, the IPL was a big dream for me and the money is a big bonus, but it is not the be all and end all. I play because I love batting.’
Harry Brook is still stunned he went for £1.325m during the Indian Premier League's auction
And as he showed in being named player of the series in both England’s Test and T20 wins in Pakistan, and winning the ICC’s player of the month award for December, he bats rather well.
During a meteoric ascent, Brook has found it difficult not to steal the thunder of others. That was the case on December 23 as along with girlfriend Lucy he joined a family gathering in a cafe in Ilkley for breakfast to celebrate his sister Rosie’s 18th birthday.
‘Obviously, I didn’t want to ruin it for her,’ he says. Naturally, though, he was curious about events taking place in Kochi.
‘I couldn’t find it streaming anywhere, so I messaged my agent and a few mates trying to find a link. Then, Matthew Fisher FaceTimed me, and propped his phone up so I could watch it off his TV. It was very blurry, so I just kept asking, “What’s it up to now?” every couple of minutes.’
Brook won player of the series in both England's T20 and Test (pictured) series versus Pakistan
So, is he worth the investment? ‘I’ll be able to tell you that after the IPL, won’t I?’ he says. ‘I want to be a match-winner, that’s something I’ve always said, and batting in the middle order, one of the main aspects of my game is trying to chase down scores.
‘It might have been a different story if I hadn’t done so well in the Tests in Pakistan, but I played spin fairly well out there and there will be a lot of that in the IPL. The World Cup is in India this year too,
