Stupid or valid? Did Brook’s shot put Australia on the brink?

Zak Crawley doesn’t use social media.

He has frequently asserted that he is unaware of criticism that has filtered his way throughout his England career.

Before he returned to his Adelaide hotel room on Saturday night, Harry Brook’s passwords might have been altered for his own good.

His bowling attempt to off-spinner Nathan Lyon in a reverse sweep that he was bowled after tea was not pretty.

With the tourists now 207-6, Lyon was on the verge of clinching the series win with two more England hits as a result.

In recent months, Brook has put the patience of England fans to the test.

He attempted to start this series in fifth gear by scooping and swinging his way to 52 with that still vivid memory from the fifth Test against India at The Oval, when his bat ended up square leg and the ball in the hands of mid-off as England threw away a historic win.

In the second innings of his Perth match, he edged his team-mates to the most careless dismissal by driving and edging for a three-ball duck moments after Ollie Pope had done the same, while his swish to Mitchell Starc under the lights in Brisbane may have been the worst of the bunch.

The 26-year-old has done a lot in Australia, but not on his own.

How talented Brook is can contribute a lot to the frustration. Crawley and Pope both have poor shooting, but neither of those games is typical 55.05.

Brook delivered a welcome news conference in Adelaide at the start of the week after four days of enjoying Noosa’s offerings.

He described those earlier errors on tour as “shocking shots,” as he frequently does, and was open about how badly he had performed.

He said, “Sometimes I have to rein it in a little bit and learn to take the pressure a little more.”

When the chance arises, I must realize how to put pressure on them. I don’t feel as good about doing that as often as I should.

Brook did that well in the first three innings of the third Test by easing to 45, to Brook’s credit.

On Saturday, Brook displayed a similar level of patience.

A man who frequently gets called on to have too many shots in his armoury for his own good showed some restraint when he attempted one wild scoop but his first 25 balls didn’t have any attacking strokes.

And to criticize his eventual demise would mean disregarding the larger picture.

On a turning surface, it was impossible to simply block Nathan Lyon and survive for five sessions. In Brook’s words, pressure, even just a little, needed to be deflected, runs had to be scored, and catchers had to be moved.

The reverse sweep was also performed by Brook and others.

On Saturday afternoon, the right-hander, Crawley, Joe Root, and then Will Jacks each registered 20 runs on the shot.

At five overs, it allowed Lyon to go without being in the attack at one point. The strategy was successful.

Brook’s 33-Test career included playing that kind of shot for the first time.

Jonathan Agnew of the BBC Test Match Special said, “They all made an effort to play sensibly.”

“People will consider Harry Brook’s dismissal,” he said. That’s what I understand. However, they had deliberately used the reverse sweep and executed it well to prevent him from bowling straight at them with close fielders.

The ball has been spinning and popping up. It is a legitimate tactic.

Although he may not have been the most obnoxious of Australians, wicketkeeper Alex Carey had a similar sympathy.

He said, “I’ve played shots like that, so I can’t really comment.”

I believed that all of their players were excellent at playing the reverse-sweep today.

Even though all reverses were premeditated, Brook was undoubtedly guilty of playing the shot to the wrong ball.

Brook was left with no hope of winning because of Lyon’s dragged his length back and pushed the ball straighter, either intentionally through the skill that comes with 567 Test wickets or simply because Brook had just three shots at Travis Head in succession.

Brook’s biggest mistake may have been in the latter.

Given that he did so little in his first two Tests, Brook must repay England in the coming weeks, months, and years.