Best is yet to come as Ponting remains in awe of Harry Brook
ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting believes Harry Brook is currently the best Test batter in the world and his recent rise to become the No.1 ranked player is thoroughly deserved.
Brook scored his eighth Test century for England in a crushing 323-run victory over New Zealand in Wellington last week and it helped the classy right-hander overtake more experienced teammate Joe Root and claim the top ranking for Test batters.
While Root is commonly regarded as one of the best batters of the generation having made 36 Test centuries, Brook's current run of form has seen the 25-year-old climb to the rankings pinnacle and challenge his compatriot for the title of being the best batter in the world.
Ponting discussed Brook's rise to the top with host Sanjana Ganesan on the most recent episode of The ICC Review and the Australian great thinks it's been Brook's rich vein of form away from home that sets him apart from other similar players at the top of their game.
Ricky Ponting hails new World No.1 Test batter Harry Brook | ICC Review
Brook averages a whopping 89.35 at Test level away from home - in comparison to just 38.05 on home soil - and the rising star has now made seven of his eight Test centuries outside of England that has coincided with him rising to the top of the Test batter rankings.
"He probably is (the best Test batter in the world) right now," Ponting said of Brook.
"He is doing some pretty amazing things and most of them he is doing away from home.
"That's his seventh hundred now away from home out of eight or nine hundreds and it's the way he gets his runs, with class and he gets them quickly under this new regime and I love watching him play."
Brook only made his Test debut against South Africa at The Oval in 2022 and reached triple figures for the first time in December of that year when he scored a brilliant 153 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
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It was performances similar to that that immediately caught the eye of Ponting, who splashed out INR 4 Crore at the Indian Premier League auction in 2023 when coach of the Delhi Capitals just to ensure he gained the services of the young gun.
While Brook didn't make it to the IPL in 2024 as he decided to stay in England due to a family issue, Ponting still remains a big fan of the new No.1 ranked Test batter and believes he can flourish in all formats of the game.
"I got him in the IPL auction last year because I think he's a generational type of player," Ponting noted.
"I think he's really starting to show that now at Test level and I think he can do the same across all three formats."