How England could line up in India after Harry Brook’s shock exit

England suffered a huge blow just hours before they were set to depart for India when it was confirmed Harry Brook has flown home following a serious issue with a family member.

Brook was set to play a key role in the five-Test series that starts in Hyderabad on Thursday but left the squad on Sunday after learning of the personal matter late on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old batter had been part of England’s 12-day training camp in Abu Dhabi and was set to fly out to India with the rest of the squad from Dubai on Sunday.

However, he is now returning home and it is unclear whether he will play any part in the series. England had initially ruled him out of the entire tour before later clarifying that Brook might yet rejoin his team-mates at some point during the seven-week series.

Dan Lawrence, who is in Dubai playing for Desert Vipers in the International League T20, has been named as Brook’s replacement in the 16-man squad and will link up with England in Hyderabad in the next 24 hours.

England confirmed: “Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England men’s Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India.

“The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space.”

i has respected this plea for privacy and has only been told that the issue relates to a family member and is “serious”.

Brook has been a key member of England’s Bazball revolution and was set to play a major role in India batting at No 5 or 6.

Although he averages 62.15 in his 12 Tests so far, that jumps to 88.55 overseas. He was crucial to England’s 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan in late 2022, scoring centuries in all three Tests. Only Ken Barrington (1961), Sir Alastair Cook (2012) and Joe Root (2021) had previously scored as many hundreds in Asia in a single calendar year. Brook also hit 186 in his last overseas Test against New Zealand at Wellington last February.

As much as a blow as this is to England, it may well simplify selection for them ahead of the first Test. Previously, they were set for a tough choice between leaving out one of Ollie Pope, Jonny Bairstow or Ben Foakes to accommodate Brook in the middle order.

Now it is likely all three will play, with Foakes taking over wicketkeeping duties from Bairstow, who regained the gloves ahead of last summer’s Ashes, for the series. If England opted for five bowlers – something they may be reluctant to do initially at least as it would leave their batting light – they could retain Bairstow as keeper and exclude Foakes or play both and slot captain Ben Stokes up to No 3 in place of Pope.

The most likely outcome for the first Test, though, remains playing Pope, who missed the final three Ashes Tests last summer with a dislocated shoulder, and batting Bairstow either at five or six and Foakes at No 7.

Lawrence is unlikely to come into the selection equation unless there is an injury to another batter during the series. But his experience of playing four Tests during England’s last tour of India in 2021, where he averaged 21.75 in very unfavourable conditions for batting, saw him called up as Brook’s replacement ahead of any members of the England Lions squad currently playing in the sub-continent against India A.