Henry Brookes joins Middlesex from Warwickshire on three-year contract

Henry Brookes, the talented Warwickshire fast bowler, has signed for Middlesex on a three-year contract.

Brookes, 24, made his professional debut for Warwickshire in 2017 when he was just 18, and helped secure the County Championship Division Two title the following season, when he claimed 21 wickets in five appearances.

His ability to bowl at 90mph makes him a prospect across all three formats, and in 2022 he became only the third bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the Men's Hundred, with figures of 5 for 25 for Birmingham Phoenix against Southern Brave.

In all, he has claimed 80 wickets in 31 first-class appearances for Warwickshire, and a further 77 across 60 white-ball appearances. His recruitment fills a void in Middlesex's fast-bowling ranks following the retirement of Tim Murtagh.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Middlesex," Brookes said. "This is a hugely exciting moment in my career and I can't wait to get started. I'm looking forward to joining up with my new teammates and I'm going to give my all to help get the club back into Division One and achieve white-ball success."

Alan Coleman, Middlesex's Director of Cricket, said: "We are thrilled to have secured the signature of Henry for Middlesex - someone that we have been keeping a close eye on for some time now.

"He is a player that has huge amounts of genuine talent, can bowl with real pace and aggression, and is someone that we believe will add a completely different dimension to our attack.

"He has shown across both red and white ball formats that he can take wickets and cause batsmen problems, and we can't wait to start working with him.

"He is still young and has huge potential to develop into one of the best bowlers in the country, and we're delighted that he'll be doing so in a Middlesex shirt."

Brookes' recruitment comes in spite of the financial difficulties that Middlesex are undergoing, with the club having recently confirmed they will be playing two T20 Blast games at Essex's home ground in Chelmsford, rather than undergo the set-up costs associated with hosting matches at their outgrounds of Radlett and Merchant Taylors' School.

Andrew Cornish, Middlesex's chief executive, added: "The challenges we face financially dictate that we are having to make some really difficult decisions for the long-term good of the club. Making these calls however, which positively impact on our financial position, can give us the opportunity where appropriate to invest in our playing squad to ensure we can deliver against our ultimate objective of being a competitive cricket team in all formats.

"The signing of Henry Brookes is a great example of this, and I'm sure our members will be as excited as we are to see him representing the Club from 2024 onwards."