England vs Pakistan: Harry Brook has found a batting model after captaincy disappointment – Jonathan Agnew

It’s no surprise that this version of Brook came on the heels of being overlooked as captain.

CEO Rob Key and other members of the England and Wales Cricket Board gave it serious consideration before eventually overlooking it.

I’m sure he has wondered why that was the case and after incidents like the one in Wellington and some of the things he has said to the media in the past, he is returning to maturity.

Yes, Brook has proven to be a skilled strategist and leader of the white-ball team, but at no point did I believe he was ready to be England’s Test captain.

That role goes beyond the decisions made on the field.

It’s about representing your country and sometimes stepping up when necessary to talk about difficult issues around the world. We have seen this in the episodes involving Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in the recent past.

Brook hasn’t shown he has the maturity to do that part of the job, meaning Joe Root was the only candidate. The hierarchy had no choice.

But Root’s second season is unlikely to last long, possibly only until the end of next year’s Ashes, and the ball is in Brook’s court to prove before then that he is the best candidate next time.

Who knows, Jacob Bethell, who is highly rated as a leader, may have overtaken him by then, but there is no reason why Brook can’t be Test captain when Root leaves the role, especially if he is showing maturity in batting in this way.

Of course, some people will view Brook’s entries through the prism of what has come before. They may say it only adds to the frustration over why Brook couldn’t bat more sensibly during the Ashes.

Who knows what would have happened if he had.

I understand that argument – the winter was one of the biggest disappointments in English cricket in recent times – but now is the time to look to the future and put the ashes behind us.

Lessons have been learned; You can see it by the decisions made and the people who are now in charge. Root and Stephen Fleming should be more astute operators.

So, with a big series on the horizon after this (a winter trip to South Africa and then The Ashes next summer), we’ve reached the point where we have to move on.

With this in mind, it wasn’t just Brook’s performance that has been encouraging so far.

While he will be upset to come away misjudging spinner Usman Ali’s length as Brook did, Jordan Cox batted with similar restraint and class for his 73.

Root batted like he does, maintaining a more measured batting performance. It was something every England fan will be happy to see.

While two days of calm have been very welcome after what we have witnessed in recent months, we do not want England to do without everything we saw under the Bazball regime of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.

This team should retain much of its positivity, but do so without delving into the recklessness and inflexibility we saw before.

Cruelty was another thing the Bazballers often lacked and this Test has presented Root’s England with the perfect opportunity to show what they have learned.

Pakistan has chosen the wrong team. They should have gone with another closer and are desperately missing some rhythm in their attack.

It means this is the kindest opponent England could have wished for to begin their long-awaited restart.

England can now press their advantage and take a 1-0 lead in this series. Brook has begun to show them the way.

Jonathan Agnew spoke to BBC Sport’s Matthew Henry