Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Harry Brook was happy to share a fake tea with Mitch Marsh, but England’s white-ball captain is doing his utmost to stay well away from the ball-tampering scandal rocking Australian cricket.
Brook and Marsh came together for a photo shoot on Thursday at Optus Stadium to promote Friday’s series-opening ODI clash in Perth.
A table complete with flowers, desserts, sandwiches and teacups was set up on the Optus Stadium turf, with Brook and Marsh sitting together to pose for photos.
“I wasn’t expecting to have a tea with him, that’s for sure,” Brook said ahead of the three-match ODI and five-match T20 series against Australia.
“There wasn’t actually anything in the pot, but my preferred choice would be Yorkshire tea.
“It’s a nice way to kick off the series. Australia, England is always a good series, and we’re looking forward to kickstarting tomorrow.”
The pleasantries were a far cry from the bitter Ashes moments the two nations have shared over the years.
And the light-hearted moment was a welcome relief for Marsh, who minutes earlier faced a grilling from the Perth media about his knowledge of the ball-tampering events from Cape Town in 2018.
Marsh played the straightest of straight bats, and Brook did the same when he faced the media after the photo shoot.
“I wasn’t in that (Australian) dressing room,” Brook said when asked about Australia’s 2018 ball tampering.
“I think I was about 17 or 18 years old, so I was completely oblivious to any of that stuff.
“But look, we’re here in Australia, we’re looking forward to this series starting tomorrow, and all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and get ourselves as ready as possible.”
Brook turned deadly serious when asked whether ball tampering had been rampant in world cricket before the issue exploded in 2018.
“I’ve never seen any ball tampering before,” Brook said.
Displays of reverse swing have significantly reduced since Australia were caught using sandpaper to rough up the ball in Cape Town in 2018, but Brook reckons it still exists.
“I faced it a little bit. It happens everywhere,” Brook said.
“It depends on the conditions, really. Depends whether it’s dry or you get the ball into the dirt and get it reversing.
“Obviously, it’s playing a little bit more of a role now in one-day cricket, specifically with the last 16 overs being one ball, so it’s something to practise for sure.”
England will be without paceman Josh Tongue (toe) and rising star Jacob Bethell (knee) for the white-ball tour of Australia after the pair suffered fresh setbacks while training in Perth.
