Brook and Marcus Trescothick form a caretaker captain-head coach alliance for an ODI reboot against Australia ahead of McCullum assuming control in all formats in January

Harry Brook’s message will be simple as he heads into a brief spell as England cricket captain. He says the mantra will be “whatever you feel like doing, just do it."

Stand-in skipper wants his side to mirror fearless Test team even before Brendon McCullum also takes the white-ball reins

This is a five-match series, which is unusual these days. In fact it is England’s first in 50-over cricket since 2019. Bilateral series are under threat from franchise leagues but remain important for captains and coaches to build a team. It is how Eoin Morgan plotted his way to World Cup glory.

Harry Brook suspects England’s approach will “merge into one” when Brendon McCullum unifies the head coach roles.