There was relief in the air after his maiden ODI century, a feeling that could be applied to the last week, his central role in it and the situation his team faced at the Seat Unique Riverside. After two humiliating defeats, England were on course to win this third ODI in Durham. And a cricketer who perhaps didn’t realise how gruelling it could be to captain an ODI – “I was really worn out when I came out on the field after 50 overs,” he said at the end – finally got to experience being less stressed by the two leaders.

Brook also won his third throw in a row and although that hadn’t helped at Trent Bridge or Headingley, the conditions at Chester-le-Street were favourable for an upward throw. But it was the first of several correct decisions on a fine day for the 25-year-old.

“There wasn’t much turn and Beth just pushed the ball along,” Brook explained the unusual placement. Admittedly, Green didn’t have to run and hit the ball straight to Potts – which Brook acknowledged in his own way. “It was a bit of luck to be honest, I won’t take too much credit for that. But it’s nice to see when you make a change and it works straight away.”

In an earlier change, Marnus Labuschagne had been hit with a miscue off the back. The Australian No.5, eager to get going while being denied options in the field, attempted to get relief with a ball from Jacks. A bounce off his grille allowed Jamie Smith to take an easy catch behind the stumps.

Of course, the win helps, but Brook viewed this as an overall more comfortable performance as captain. “Little by little, it became more comfortable. In the first game, I was a bit hectic at times. But as the series went on, I became much more relaxed.”

There were some welcome trademarks from Brook that England fans have come to expect. He explained his success by keeping his head “as calm as possible”, watching the ball and playing it late – qualities that, to be honest, were more than evident today. But there were also the characteristic impulsive streaks.

The first time he used his feet was when he bowled Josh Hazlewood over backward point in the ninth over. He greeted the first deliveries from Maxwell and Short with high drives over extra cover, for four and six respectively.

In Jacks he had an ally willing to keep up and even sprint away. The pair played as a tag team against Mitchell Starc in the 23rd over, giving the left-handed quick his third most expensive over in ODIs (19). By the time their stand was broken at 156 – Jacks managed a slice to point for 84 – the demand was a manageable 138 from 135 deliveries. Brook seemed determined to slash, drive, cut and shovel his way through that number, and eventually had to settle for 40 of the 87 England had chipped away at before the rainy season set in.

“He’s an impressive player,” McDonald said. “He’s going to have a long career for England and give us some headaches along the way.”

You could call it a kind of statement criticism. Perhaps even in two senses. Firstly, it gave Brook the opportunity to clarify comments he made after the first ODI. “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or on the field, who cares?” was the comment in question, which drew widespread ridicule from fans and pundits alike.

“I think people have taken it a little bit the wrong way,” he said. “You have to go out there and play fearlessly and almost have that ‘who cares’ attitude. It’s not a ‘who cares if we lose’ attitude – we still want to win. But you shouldn’t go out there afraid of getting knocked out.”

You could see what he meant then, but Tuesday’s knock – peppered with 13 fours and two sixes – serves as a handy indicator to make it crystal clear. That was Brook leading from the front, in a familiar sweet spot where he showed how much he cares by not doing it the right way.