"He is such a high-class player" - Michael Vaughan surprised at Harry Brook's omission from the England provisional World Cup Squad

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was surprised at the exclusion of young sensation Harry Brook from the side's recently announced provisional 15-man squad for the ICC ODI World Cup.

England plays four home ODIs against New Zealand following as many T20s before the mega event in India.

While Brook's omission is a consequence of Test captain Ben Stokes making a U-turn on his ODI retirement, several experts still believe the 24-year-old should be on the plane to India. Stokes, who last played ODIs for England in July 2022, reversed his decision to make himself available for the showpiece event.

Speaking on BBC Two's coverage of The Hundred, Vaughan felt Brook should have been included instead of dashing opener Jason Roy.

"Harry Brook not being in that squad is remarkable. I know he's only played three one-day games but I just think he is such a high-class player. Jason Roy did well in Bangladesh and scored a hundred, but if I was brutal Brook would come in for Jason Roy," said Vaughan.

Although the talent is visible, especially in the red-ball format, it is hard to justify favoring the middle-order batter over the veteran Roy in 50-over cricket based on the numbers.

Roy has scored two centuries in six games against South Africa and Bangladesh with an average of 46.33 and a strike rate of 99.38. The opening batter was also an internal part of England's title run in the 2019 edition, scoring 443 runs at an incredible average of 63.28 and a 115.36 strike rate.

Meanwhile, Brook has played only three ODIs, all of which were against South Africa this year, scoring 86 runs at an average of 28.66, with a lone half-century.

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"Harry Brook not being in the squad tells you how strong England are" - Michael Vaughan

England will look to defend their 2019 title in the upcoming World Cup.

Michael Vaughan felt the exclusion of Harry Brook from the ODI squad strongly indicates England's caliber in the 50-over format. The Three Lions has been arguably the best team in white-ball cricket since 2015, winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the T20 World Cup a year ago.

Despite that, the former captain still believes that the 24-year-old will be in the squad for the World Cup in India.

"You can argue that Harry Brook not being in the squad tells you how strong England are. Sometimes in sport, special talents come along and Harry Brook has got that gift. Whatever format he's playing, I just think he's such a wonderful player against seam or spin. If I were a betting man, I'd say he will be in India in October - and I don't think it'll be on holiday," stated Vaughan.

Apart from playing in only the three ODIs for England, the Yorkshire-born batter has not played a List-A game for his county side since 2019. Furthermore, Brook boasts a mediocre record in List-A games, averaging just a shade over 30 in 18 games.

England will take on New Zealand in four T20Is, followed by as many ODI games, starting August 30 before facing off against the same opponent (a rematch of the 2019 final) in the World Cup opener in Ahmedabad on October 5.