Keighley boy Brook burns bright to give Yorkshire hope

The batsman, one of the most in-form in the country, has signed a deal which will keep him at Yorkshire until at least the end of 2027.

It has been a turbulent time for the famous county, who continue to be embroiled in a very public racism scandal.

Head coach Andrew Gale was sacked as a result of the fallout, though he has since won an unfair dismissal claim against the club.

Gary Ballance, who faced racism allegations from Azeem Rafiq, has yet to play for the club this season.

And new chairman, Lord Kamlesh Patel, has admitted that Yorkshire would have gone bankrupt if they had been denied the chance to host international cricket this summer.

Many sponsors withdrew their support for the club, and now key players are turning their backs on Yorkshire.

Willey is rejoining Northamptonshire at the end of the season, saying in a pointed Instagram post: “Unfortunately the circumstances surrounding the recent events at the club have made my work environment unsettling.

“There are some great lads & fantastic players at Yorkshire and I hope the complications at the club will not take priority and overshadow their talents.

“The cricket and the current players seem to be secondary at the moment to repairing the club’s reputation.

“It certainly felt that way for me over the past 12 months.

“I play cricket because I love the game. I just want to play somewhere that cricket is the focus and where I feel valued on and off the field.”

And while Kohler-Cadmore did not call out the club on his departure, his father, Mick, quit his job as dressing room attendant following the mass sacking of coaches and backroom staff.

It is not too far-fetched to think his son leaving the club months later to sign a deal with Somerset from 2023 is linked.

There were fears that may lead to a mass exodus of players, and while that is still possible, Yorkshire eased some nerves by announcing new deals for Brook and Dom Leech.

Harry Brook's scintillating form in T20 cricket for Yorkshire and Northern Superchargers over the last few years has led to chances in Australia and with the national side.

While the latter is still trying to establish himself in the first team, the former has exploded on to the scene over the last 12 months in particular, earning himself England call-ups at Test and T20 level.

He actually made his first-class debut for Yorkshire back in 2016, having previously starred at boyhood club Burley, where he was raised, in the Aire-Wharfe League.

But it was less than three years ago when he was playing regular Bradford Premier League cricket for Bradford & Bingley.

Harry Brook batting for Bradford & Bingley against Woodlands in a crucial Bradford Premier League match back in August 2019.

Months later, people sat up and took notice when he averaged 55, with a strike rate of 163, in the 2020 Vitality Blast group stages, despite batting in the middle order.

Last season, he was sensational. the fourth highest scorer in the Blast, striking 486 runs at a phenomenal average of 69.40.

And he came to national attention in the inaugural Hundred.

Playing for Northern Superchargers, he was one of the top-10 run-scorers in the competition, despite only playing five innings.

That limited-overs form led to a life-changing move to Hobart Hurricanes for the Big Bash League in Australia, as well as an England T20 debut in January.

But his talent in the four-day game is burning just as bright. He averaged nearly 38 last season, in a Yorkshire side that largely struggled with the bat.

And this year he has gone stratospheric in Division One of the County Championship for Yorkshire, scoring 926 runs so far at the barely believable average of 115.75.

England did call him up for their three-Test series that has just concluded against New Zealand, though sadly, he just missed out on making his international debut in that format.

It seems unlikely he can ignored for much longer, and it would be a huge surprise if Brook does not go on to have a fine career for his country.

As for Yorkshire, the future might still look uncertain, but in Brook, they have an assured batsman who they can rely on for another five years to come.

Not bad for a young Keighley lad.