Bradford District superstar Harry Brook has been overlooked for the coveted England Test captaincy role.
Instead, his Yorkshire team-mate Joe Root has taken it on again, having initially been the skipper between 2017 and 2022.
Root appeared to welcome the chance to step down four years ago and focus purely on his game, allowing Ben Stokes to take charge in a new era with head coach Brendon McCullum.
With Stokes retiring from international cricket this summer, many assumed his vice-captain, Keighley native Brook, would take the reins.
He would have been the first cricketer born in the Bradford district to assume the role, while he is already England’s white-ball captain.
We had even contacted the club where he plied his trade as a junior, Burley-in-Wharfedale, for a comment on Brook becoming Test skipper, but the chance has passed him by on this occasion.
England have not revealed why Brook was overlooked, but his involvement in an altercation with a bouncer at a nightclub in New Zealand just before the Ashes last winter created unwanted headlines for the ECB and may have hurt his case.
Yorkshire have hailed Root’s return to the role, with general manager of cricket Gavin Hamilton saying: "Joe's cricket speaks for itself, but what continues to impress everyone here is the person he is.
"Whenever he returns to Yorkshire, he immediately raises standards around the group.
"Our young players learn simply by watching the way he prepares, trains and competes.
"His experience, knowledge and leadership are invaluable, and we're delighted to see him given the opportunity to captain England once again.
"Everyone at Yorkshire will be right behind him."
