Harry Brook produced a breathtaking display of power-hitting in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at Southampton, leaving the visitors’ bowlers struggling to contain England’s relentless batting assault. The explosive knock also earned huge praise from England Test captain Ben Stokes, who compared Brook’s talent with former England great Kevin Pietersen.

Brook smashed an unbeaten 114 off just 49 balls as England posted a massive 254/4. His innings was packed with aggressive strokeplay and helped England seize complete control of the contest. Sri Lanka, unable to cope with the pressure created by England’s huge total, were bowled out for 135 in 19 overs.

Stokes was particularly impressed by Brook’s extraordinary ability and took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make a bold comparison with Pietersen, who is widely regarded as one of England’s finest white-ball batters. “I don’t even think the genius of KP could come close to what Harry Brook has talent-wise.”

ALSO READ: Yuvraj Singh Urges India To Build A Settled Squad Ahead Of 2027 ODI World Cup

Stokes also urged critics to appreciate players capable of producing extraordinary performances rather than constantly focusing on their failures. He described Brook as an exceptional talent and expressed his enjoyment of watching him bat. “You are an absolute freak, Harry. You’re mint to watch.”

I don’t even think the genius of KP could come close to what Harry Brook has talent-wise.

Is it really that hard to just sit back and admire these players for what they are, on the good days and the bad days, and stop berating them for doing things that we would never, ever,…

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) September 15, 2026

The praise comes at an interesting time, with Kevin Pietersen recently joining England’s white-ball setup as a special mentor. Brook, meanwhile, made the transition from Test cricket to T20 mode within days after being part of England’s 3-0 Test series victory over Pakistan.

Brook reached his half-century from only 20 balls before taking another 22 deliveries to complete his century. His 42-ball hundred is England’s second-fastest T20I century, behind Phil Salt’s 39-ball effort against South Africa last year. Reflecting on England’s performance, Brook admitted that switching formats so quickly was not ideal but said the team managed to prepare mentally.

ALSO READ: Sanju Samson Opens Up On Pressure After Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s India T20I Rise

“It is not the ideal schedule, but we managed to mentally prepare for this game and this series. I thought the performance tonight was near-perfect.” Harry Brook also praised England’s overall effort after the emphatic victory. “An exceptional performance and I am proud of how the boys went about every aspect of the game tonight.” With such a dominant start to the series, Brook’s explosive form has immediately added another dimension to England’s T20 batting attack.