'A hero to a lot of players' - Harry Brook hails Kevin Pietersen as hero after stunning century against Sri Lanka

Brook's blistering ton powers England past SL by 119 runs

England cruised to an 119-run win over Sri Lanka in the 1st T20I at Southampton on Sep 15, posting a massive 254/4. Harry Brook was the star—unl out 114 off 49 balls with 10 fours and 6 sixes. His century came off just 42 balls, making it England's joint-2nd fastest T20I ton ever. Notably, this was Brook's first international century in all formats in his last 18 innings—since that World Cup clincher vs Pakistan back in Feb 2026.

The momentum came from a crushing 128-run second-wicket stand with Jos Buttler, setting up the huge total. Brook's aggressive intent was textbook—he clearly enjoys putting bowlers under the gun.

Pietersen factor: Brook credits KPG as his hero

Post-match, Brook opened up on Kevin Pietersen, who's now joined the whiteball setup as a specialist mentor ahead of next year's ODI World Cup in South Africa.

"he's a great figure in the changing room...he looked at batting slightly differently, in a similar way to me," Brook told Sportstar. "He always wants to pressure the bowlers."

Brook even admitted re-watching Pietersen's highlights recently, calling the former skipper "phenomenal" and noting how his ability to hit every part of the ground made him a nightmare to captain against. "We all grew up watching him...awesome to have a man of his calibre in the room," he said.

Big thing here: Pietersen's influence spans both whiteball AND Test cricket. If he can unlock even a fraction of that magic for Brook, England's middle order just got a lot more dangerous heading into the WC cycle.

Source: Crictracker