On Day 1 of the fifth and final Test match between India and England, rain interrupted play—but off the field, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman Richard Thompson made headlines with strong comments.
Thompson praised the dedication of England players to their national team, especially batter Harry Brook. Brook had been bought by Delhi Capitals for ₹6.2 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. However, just before the tournament started, he chose to withdraw from IPL to focus on playing for England.
This decision came at a big cost—Brook is now banned from the IPL for two years, and he lost out on millions of rupees. But ECB chair Thompson said Brook didn’t think twice about skipping the IPL for his country.
“Harry Brook didn’t even hesitate. He gave up a huge amount of money to play for England. That shows his mindset,” said Thompson.
He also raised an important point: many players around the world are now choosing franchise cricket (like IPL) over international matches. Some even retire early from national teams to play in T20 leagues.
But according to Thompson, this is not the case in England. He said the team environment built by coach Brendon McCullum (Baz), captain Ben Stokes, and team director Rob Key has created a strong bond among the players.
“Every player wants to be in that dressing room. The passion to play for England has never been stronger,” Thompson added.
Under McCullum and Stokes, the England team has become more united and competitive, even in a tough series against India. Despite tense moments and on-field arguments, the England squad has stood together and shown great team spirit throughout the series.
