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During England’s first training session after their loss to the 10th-ranked team in Antigua, there was no visible sign of disappointment or conflict among the squad. They started with an energetic game of pig, a football keepy-uppy game commonly used for warm-ups.

A small change has been made to this tour: instead of just receiving an ear flick, a die-roll determines the consequence for the person who is at fault for dropping the ball. The game ends with Phil Salt bending over and Brydon Carse hitting the ball towards his backside.

The main idea is that a small adjustment can bring new life to things. It is likely that either Carse or Sam Curran, who were both heavily targeted in the first match on Sunday, will not play in the second match against West Indies on Wednesday. However, England is aiming to replicate their successful performance from the first match, but with a different outcome. Harry Brook commented, “To be honest, I thought our batting was nearly flawless. Our bowling may not have been up to our standards, which I’m sure the team would agree with, but it was a difficult ground to defend.”

Their rivals share similar goals, but England was content with their performance throughout the game except for the last few overs. On the other hand, West Indies was satisfied with everything except the first few overs, where Salt made some careless runs. “Overall, I think we played really well and we will carry that momentum into the next game,” stated Shai Hope, the team’s captain. “We need to be on top of our game from the very beginning. We cannot allow our opponents to gain an advantage like that consistently.”

Brook achieved the highest score for England with 71 runs. It was 10 months after his debut in ODI matches that he played his 13th game, which turned out to be a fortunate one for him. He expressed, “I am pleased with how I approached my innings. Initially, I faced some challenges in this format at the beginning of my ODI career. I couldn’t quite find my rhythm and style of play. However, I was satisfied with my approach in the recent game.”

The World Cup was a challenging journey, but there were many valuable lessons learned. One of them was realizing that there is more time in ODI cricket than one may think. England is known for their aggressive style, but it is important to remember that there is still plenty of time to play. Personally, I have been working on being more relaxed in my own game. After returning home, I had a training session with my school coach where I focused on perfecting the fundamentals and maintaining a calm presence at the crease while keeping my eye on the ball.

It has been a hectic year for the 24-year-old, as he has participated in numerous matches and tournaments, including 10 Tests, a two-day warm-up game, 14 ODIs, four international T20s, 11 matches for franchises, and eight games in the Hundred. This equates to a total of 89 days of cricket, which accounts for 24.4% of the past year. Along with travel and training, there has been very little time for rest and relaxation.

“After the World Cup, I felt the need to take a short break,” he explained. “Competing in such a major event can be exhausting, especially since our performance was not up to par. I also did not perform well personally, so it was refreshing to have a two-week break at home. However, the length of my stay depends on the weather. If it’s bad, I am ready to leave after a few days. My family may not like that, but I was happy to escape the bad weather and return to doing what I love.”

Although the majority of players on the World Cup team were given extra time off, Brook had to quickly resume training. “The decision was made by England, but I am content to be here,” he stated. “It’s a change of pace. I have been waking up at six in the morning and going for a swim in the ocean.”

Brook recently agreed to a three-year central contract, giving England control over his schedule until 2026. He stated that there was no bargaining involved and he immediately signed as soon as England approached him. Playing for England has been a lifelong dream for Brook.

Only a few players have seamlessly transitioned from aspiring to play for England to actually playing for the national team for most of their career.

Source: theguardian.com