Harry Brook says he was looking forward to linking up with his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals for the upcoming season but chose to stay with his family as they grieve the death of his grandmother.
Brook had pulled out of the India tour a day before England were to leave Abu Dhabi where the team underwent a camp to prepare for the five-match series that concluded last week.
Brook says he returned home after being told his grandmother has fallen ill and isn’t expected to live long.
“I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL,” Brook said in a statement on Instagram.
“I was so excited to be picked by Delhi Capitals and was so looking forward to joining up with everyone. Whilst I don’t think I should need to share my personal reasons behind this decision, I know there will be many asking why. So I do want to share this,” he added.
The 25-year-old says his love for life and cricket was shaped by his grandparents.
“I lost my grandmother last month – she was a rock to me and I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home; my attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather,” Brook said.
“When at home, there would hardly be a day go by that didn’t include seeing her. It makes me so happy that she was able to see me play cricket for England.
“I’m proud that she could collect some of the awards I have won over the last couple of years when I couldn’t be there and I know she enjoyed doing that.” He added, “I made the decision to leave the India Test tour the night before we flew from Abu Dhabi to India because I was told for the first time that my grandmother was ill and didn’t have long left,” he added.
“Now that she has passed my family and I are grieving and I need to be around them. Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental wellbeing and that of my family’s, honestly nothing is more important to me than family. So whilst this may come as surprising to some, I know it’s the right decision for me,” he wrote.
“I’m young and hope to have many, many more years of cricket to come which I intend to make the absolute most of. I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I have received, especially from the ECB and Delhi Capitals, thank you,” he added.
