Brook: 'You don't always have to be nice guys'

Harry Brook has said that England's victory in the third Test against India taught them that "you don't always have to be nice", and ended a period of several years in which they have tended to be overly friendly.

- Simon Burnton

Harry Brook has said that England's victory in the third Test against India taught them that "you don't always have to be nice", and ended a period of several years in which they have tended to be overly friendly. That time came to an end midway through their last game - just days after their coach, Brendon McCullum, told them they could be a bit meaner - when they seized on "a great opportunity to go hard at them" and "tried to create a bit of niggle".

Brook said that during the break between the conclusion of that game and the team's reunion in Manchester for the penultimate match of the series, which starts tomorrow, he had received "loads of compliments" about the drama created by the outbreak of hostility at Lord's. "Everyone said it was awesome to watch," Brook said. "It was good fun, I have to admit. It made fielding a lot more enjoyable."