Harry Brook dedicates "all the runs I've scored this year" to late grandmother

Brook, the Yorkshire and England batter, missed the five-Test series in India over the winter and subsequently withdrew from the IPL to be with his family, before returning to action with his county this month

The Cricketer | 28/04/2024 at 14:10

Harry Brook has dedicated "all of the runs I've scored this year" to his late grandmother, Pauline, who passed away in February.

Brook, the Yorkshire and England batter, missed the five-Test series in India over the winter and subsequently withdrew from the IPL, before returning to action with his county this month.

He hit his second century of the summer on Saturday against Derbyshire, having previously reached three figures against Leicestershire.

"When I came home from Abu Dhabi (where England were holding a training camp), it was a very tough time, and I'm glad I did come home," he told the ECB Reporters Network.

"Obviously, it was a big decision to make. I hadn't played hundreds of games for England, so to just turn down a big Test tour like that (India) was a big decision to make.

"But she comes before all of that. She would have come out there a couple of years ago, so I had to come back and support her as much as I could. It was a very tough period, but I'm glad I came back and I was with my family and was with her."

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^{Pauline Brook, pictured with the PCA men's player of the year award for 2023 (Joe Maher/Getty Images)}

Pauline was described by Brook in a statement last month as "a rock to me" and she became a recognisable figure on the cricket circuit, often appearing to collect awards on Brook's behalf. "I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home," his statement continued. "My attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather."

On Saturday, he added that he had managed to take his grandmother out for coffee in the week after returning from England's camp.

"I just tried to support her as best as I could and everyone around us," he said. "Both of those hundreds (for Yorkshire this season) and all of the runs I've scored so far this year are all dedicated to her."

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