PCA PRESS RELEASE
England captain awarded Vitality IT20 Men’s Player of the Summer.
To see more articles, click here
Harry Brook’s phenomenal form in IT20s for England has been rewarded with the Vitality IT20 Men’s Player of the Summer trophy.
Hitting 399 runs at an average of 99.75, the England white-ball captain was presented with the award after ending the summer at the top of the PCA’s IT20 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rankings, powered by OFX with 201.07 MVP points.
The award combines performances in the successful series victories over India and Sri Lanka in a campaign where Brook’s consistency has reached new heights.
Straddling both series, the highlight of his summer saw Brook hit unbeaten scores of 79, 95 and 114 which resulted in 288 runs without being dismissed – while showcasing a strike-rate of 223.
Such was the 27-year-old’s dominance, he finished 28 MVP points clear of second placed Jos Buttler who had won this award for the previous two years and 138 points clear of Tom Banton in third.
Captaining all Vitality IT20s this summer, Brook’s captaincy received plaudits throughout, leading England to a 4-0 victory over India and 3-0 clean sweep over Sri Lanka.
On an individual level, the number three achieved two Match MVPs, one in each series. The first came in July, with England already leading the India series by two, Brook’s unbeaten 79 off just 35 deliveries included four maximums and eight fours against the number one ranked team in the world, secured a series victory and 43.65 MVP points.
In the opening Vitality IT20 against Sri Lanka, Brook scored the highest Match MVP points total of the season with 57.74 after a blistering unbeaten 114 off just 49 balls. It was his fastest IT20 century, coming off just 42 deliveries, only falling three balls short of Phil Salt’s England record. After losing the toss, Brook combined with Buttler for a 128-run partnership with the current skipper clearing the boundary six times to go with 10 fours to help his side reach 254-4 from their 20 overs.
In addition to his 399 runs which saw him earn over 173 MVP batting points, Brook secured 12 fielding points through five catches and a run-out this summer.
Vitality IT20 Men’s Player of the Summer, Brook, said following his side’s return to the top of the ICC Rankings: “Amazing achievement again and one that everyone should be proud of. Everybody stepped up in this series, especially the lads who haven’t played too much.“We’re adapting to conditions really well, every game has been slightly different.
“I want to play as much cricket as I can for England, that’s my main priority. Hence why I don’t play any franchise cricket bar the Hundred, so that is my main focus to try and stay as fit and as ready as I can for England.”
Buttler was the closest contender for an unprecedented hat-trick of awards in consecutive summers with 347 runs, averaging just under 58 which equated to 138.86 batting MVP points, supported by a healthy 25 fielding points.
The 2022 World Cup winning captain hit a career best 131 against India, forming a record second-wicket partnership of 233 in 103 balls with Brook. The 36-year-old secured 57.06 MVP points for his performance which also saw him take three catches behind the stumps.
Fellow hard-hitting batter Banton completed the top three after cementing his place in the T20 side this summer, featuring in all eight games. With significant contributions in both series, he only had the opportunity to bat five times but hit a game-winning 39 against India to hand England a lead in the series. His performance of the summer came in an unbeaten 52 off jut 24 balls against Sri Lanka in the second IT20.
The MVP formula takes into account expected performance on every ball according to CricViz’s extensive database. The algorithm also considers the historic performances of the venue each fixture is being played at, therefore giving a more accurate reflection of the top performers in the game than traditional batting and bowling averages do.
Three MVP awards are announced across each summer for England Men with Brook joining Ollie Robinson with silverware after the seamer won the Rothesay Men’s Test Player of the Summer. With three Metro Bank ODIs to conclude the summer, Joe Root is in pole position to join his fellow Yorkshireman when the final accolade is handed out on Sunday 27 September.
England’s next IT20 series will be in Australia, starting on 21 November in a five-game encounter as Brook’s side look to extend their form and cement their place at the top of the ICC Rankings.
View the final IT20 and Overall Men’s International MVP tables here.
Save time and money with OFX, the PCA’s Official FX partner, offering members bank-beating rates and an easier way to send money home.
