England's stand-in captain Harry Brook has admitted that his side's performance against South Africa was "not good enough" after they were hammered by seven wickets in the first One Day International at Headingley.
The defeat, which was the first of Brook's short captaincy reign, saw England collapse to just 131 all out before their opponents chased the total down with 30 overs to spare.
Brook was candid and did not hold back in his post-match interview, stating that the performance was a brutal reality check for his team.
The defeat, which was watched by a packed crowd at Headingley, was a tough one for the players and the fans.
Harry Brook on his team's performance
The captain was brutally honest, admitting that the team had simply had a bad day at the office.
He refused to make excuses for the defeat, despite his team's preparation being hampered by the recent conclusion of The Hundred.
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Brook stated, "It's not good enough. I can't say much more than we've just had a bad day."
He added, "Nobody wants to come and watch that."
The captain's comments are a clear indication of his frustration with his team's performance.
He continued, "In my eyes, that's an excuse. We're not a team that makes excuses up. At the end of the day, that batting performance wasn't good enough. I think everybody will hold their hands up and say that."
Brook defends young debutant Sonny Baker
While Brook was harsh on his team's performance, he was quick to defend young debutant Sonny Baker, who had a difficult time with the ball.
The 22-year-old was handed the new ball in his first ODI, and his seven overs were swatted for 76 runs.
Despite his tough debut, Brook was full of praise for the bowler's character.
Brook said, "He hasn't had the greatest of days, but the energy he brought and the desire to just keep on hammering away was awesome to see.
"He might have missed his execution the odd time, but [Aiden] Markram played some unbelievably good shots in there as well, so hat's off to him."
The captain's defence of the young bowler is a clear indication of his faith in the next generation of England's talent.
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