Harry Brook determined to stay on the front foot in The Ashes for England against Australia

The 24-year-old right-hander led the hosts to victory on his home ground on Sunday with a sparkling second innings half-century that was in stark contrast to his two previous appearances at the crease.

It looked as if the Australians had worked Brook out at Lord’s and in the first innings in Leeds, but the Keighley-born batter proved them and any of his other doubters wrong when hitting a match-winning 75 off just 93 balls.

His sumptuous performance in the middle took him past the 1,000-run mark in just 10 Tests, from just 17 innings, equalling former Yorkshire team-mate Gary Ballance.

Having given away his wicket cheaply both times at Lord’s and again in the first innings at Headingley – where he was pushed up to No 3 - Brook proved a more obdurate opponent for Pat Cummins’s team in West Yorkshire, even though he may have rode his luck on occasion.

“The last couple of innings I feel like I’ve got out being stuck on the crease a little bit,” Wood told Sky Sports.

“And I feel like I’m at my best when I’m looking to score and put pressure on the bowler, so I was trying to be a bit more aggressive (in the second innings).

“I hate it when I nick off when I get stuck on the crease, so I’d rather get caught second slip playing a massive drive to be honest – but I’m just glad that I got a few runs.”

On the short-lived experiment to move him up to No 3 in the batting order, Brook admitted he felt more comfortable at five at this stage in his career.

“Baz (England coach Brendon McCullum) came up to me Saturday morning and said ‘you;re going back to five’,” added Brook. “Mo (Ali) wanted to go back up to three and try and put the pressure on them guys (Australia) and I went back down to five.

“I’ve batted there for the last four or five years in my career – whether it is with England or Yorkshire – so I probably feel most comfortable there but I am happy to just be in the 11, to be honest.”

Given the gravity of the occasion – where defeat for the hosts would have seen Australia retain The Ashes – Brook gave the appearance of being the calmest player out on the field throughout his innings and admitted he managed to shut out the noise bellowing out around him in the stands.

“To be honest, when I’m in the middle I’m just in a little bubble and I don’t really know what is going on,” he added.

“I’m just trying to watch the ball as close as possible and play my game.

“It’s just great that we’re now going to Old Trafford with the series very much alive.”

England and Australia now take a well-deserved break for a few days having played back-to-back games, with an enthralling Test series hanging in the balance.

The rivals reconvene at Old Trafford on Wednesday, July 19 where the hosts will need a second straight victory to keep the series’ alive going into the fifth and final Test which starts at The Oval on Thursday, July 27.