England's Harry Brook is back in the zone after putting his family first... the slimmed up batsman is primed to make a T20 splash

Harry Brook has arrived in the Caribbean leaner and fitter than ever after a winter of on-field disappointment and off-field sadness.

Jos Buttler’s side embark on their attempts to regain their T20 title on Tuesday against Scotland in Barbados, with Brook promising to be ‘more relaxed’ than he was during England’s botched defence of their 50-over World Cup in India.

He then sat out the five-Test series against the Indians to be with his grandmother, Pauline, who died in February, before missing the IPL and spending the time off getting into shape ahead of the county season with Yorkshire.

On Sunday, as England enjoyed their first training session since arriving in Bridgetown on Friday night, he looked sharper than at any time since his international debut in January 2022.

That debut also took place at the Kensington Oval, with Brook making 10 from 13 balls after coming in at No 7. Now, he plans to make an impact from No 5, and exploit the hours in the gym that he hopes will make him lighter on his feet, faster between the wickets and quicker with his bladework.

‘I had that long break – four or five months off – so I just tried to nail the fitness as soon as I got home from the World Cup,’ he said. ‘It wasn’t in great circumstances, but I just tried to train as hard as possible.

‘I was still looking to try and go back out for the Test matches, but it didn’t plan out well. But I was training hard trying to lose a bit of weight and trying to get a bit leaner.’

Brook has made a remarkable start to his Test career, averaging 62 from his first 12 games with a Bazball strike-rate of 91. But his white-ball numbers are less eye-catching: an average of 29 from 15 ODIs, and 26 from 31 T20s.

He averaged just 11 during England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign in Australia at the end of 2022, and was at the centre of a mishandled selection process a year later before the one-day World Cup in India. A last-minute pick, he ousted the unhappy Jason Roy, then admitted a couple of games into the competition that he was still trying to work out the 50-over game.

Despite one high-class innings - 66 off 61 balls during the shock defeat by Afghanistan in Delhi - England failed to get the best out of him. This tournament feels like an opportunity to start building the reputation many feel is his destiny: to become England’s next great all-format player.

Gym time for batsmen often means bulking up, with the Caribbean’s small grounds and stiff cross breezes rewarding muscle as much as nuance in an era of unprecedented six-hitting. England MD Rob Key described England’s T20 series here before Christmas as a ‘slugfest’. But Brook, whose ability to clear the rope is not in doubt, wants to add other qualities.

‘Batting in the middle, twos are going to be quite a big thing for my game,’ he said. ‘Fast hands as well - losing a bit of weight may make your hands go a bit quicker. In the field as well. I’ve been trying to get quicker at running over the last 12 to 18 months, so hopefully it’s made a difference.’

Perhaps time off has been just what he needed, a chance to refresh and reload, even at the age of 25. His Indian experience certainly made its own impression.

‘Be a bit more relaxed,’ he said. ‘Probably stay in the moment a little bit more, as a group and personally. We weren’t in a great space at the time. It wasn’t the best competition to be part of.’

Brook also revealed that Ben Stokes urged him to put family first as he considered joining up with the Test squad following Pauline’s cancer diagnosis.

‘I had a couple of conversations with him and he basically said whatever happens family is the most important thing,’ said Brook. ‘I did the right thing. I didn’t regret it for a minute.’

England looked relaxed as they trained amid the showers at the Three Ws Oval, a five-minute drive north from the Kensington Oval along the island’s blustery west coast. Barring setbacks, their only selection issue for Tuesday’s game appears to be whether to pick Mark Wood or Reece Topley, who each managed just one appearance during the rain-affected 2-0 home win over Pakistan.

But they are not interested in excuses, and fed up with monitoring the weather forecast. Above all, Buttler’s team want to prove that the meltdown in India was the exception, not the rule.

‘We fancy our chances,’ said Brook. ‘We’ve got good squad depth around T20 cricket. We’re confident we can bring it home again.’