Kevin Pietersen believes 23-year-old Harry Brook is "the future" for England, with the Yorkshire star making his T20I and Test debuts this year.
Brook was one of England's breakout stars in white ball cricket last year, getting named PCA Young Player of the Year after smashing 486 runs at an average of 69.42 in the T20 Blast and 189 runs at 47.25 in The Hundred.
He was rewarded with a T20I debut against the West Indies in January and has made England's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Brook was also handed a Test debut in the final Test against South Africa after Jonny Bairstow was ruled out after suffering a freak injury while playing golf.
Brook earned that opportunity off the back of some truly stunning form in the County Championship, having scored 967 runs at 107.44 in eight games. And Pietersen believes Brook has what it takes to be a genuine superstar for England in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
"I was talking about Harry Brook during The Hundred last year and I said that this guy can be very good for England in all formats," Pietersen wrote in his Betway column. "He is the future, in my opinion. He's got all the shots and can play in so many different circumstances."
Pietersen has been a consistent supporter of Brook since first being impressed by him during the inaugural edition of The Hundred. After Brook played his best innings in an England shirt to date in the first T20I against Pakistan, guiding his side to victory with an unbeaten 42, teammate Luke Wood was effusive in praise.
When asked to name the player he would least like to bowl to, Wood replied: "Harry Brook. I tell him all the time. Red-ball cricket, white-ball cricket, he's one of the most talented people I've come across.
"Keeps it very simple, but just the way he bats makes it hard. People who can pull you from the top of the stumps are hard work because that's obviously where you're trying to bowl it.
"And he knows his game, so because he's in the middle order he'll make sure he is in at the end, and then he goes, and because he ramps you have to have fine leg back so you're effectively playing with four fielders, because then he won't play it, and he hits it wide, so he's very hard work, and I'll keep telling him that until he stops."
