Harry Brook will retain the captaincy of the England white-ball team for next month’s T20 World Cup despite being given a final warning for his off-field conduct following an altercation with a Wellington nightclub bouncer the night before a one-day international against New Zealand in November.
The Yorkshire batsman, who was also named vice-captain of the Test squad last year as part of a bid to groom him to succeed Ben Stokes, publicly apologized for his embarrassing behavior within hours of Thursday’s five-wicket loss to Australia in Sydney, which condemned England to a 4-1 defeat.
The scuffle with a bouncer in Wellington, which was first reported by the Daily Telegraph, happened on October 31 after Brook was denied entry to a nightclub. The 26-year-old captained the side in the third one-day international the following day, scoring six from eleven balls as England lost by two wickets to seal a 3-0 defeat in the series.
Brook is said to have self-reported the incident to England management, which led to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) launching a formal disciplinary process that culminated in a £30,000 fine, the largest financial penalty available, and warning of his future conduct. The Guardian has been told that the matter was handled by the highest levels of the ECB’s executive body, which seriously considered revoking the one-day captaincy.
“I would like to apologize for my actions,” Brook said in a statement Thursday. “I fully accept that my behavior was wrong and embarrassed both myself and the England team.
“Representing England is the greatest honor of all, which I take seriously and I am deeply sorry that I have let my teammates, coaches and supporters down. I have reflected on the lessons it has taught me about responsibility, professionalism and the standards expected of those who represent your country.”
“I am committed to learning from this mistake and rebuilding trust through my future actions, both on and off the pitch. I apologize unreservedly and will work hard to ensure this does not happen again.”
The ECB said: “We are aware of this incident and it has been dealt with through a formal and confidential ECB disciplinary process. The player involved has apologized and acknowledged that his behavior on this occasion fell below expectations.”
Brook’s behavior will lead to further scrutiny of England’s professionalism during two disastrous winter tours that have produced just one sloppy win – in the two-day Melbourne Test – from eight matches across two formats.
The ECB may also face questions about the nature of the disciplinary process. Earlier in the tour, general manager Rob Key had dismissed questions about social media footage claiming Brook and Jacob Bethell were drinking at a rooftop bar in Wellington – earlier on the same night that culminated in the bouncer contretemps.
“There was no action whatsoever, like formal action,” Key said, when asked about the footage of Brook and Bethell before the fourth Test in Melbourne. “We’ve had four years where we haven’t had any of those problems, with any of the players. And there’s a whole process that we’ve set up for those kinds of things, for what you do when they’re out of line. And I didn’t feel like that was worth a formal warning. But it was probably worth an informal warning.”
“I think this was actually a bit of a wake-up call to what they’re doing,” Key added. “I don’t mind players drinking a glass of wine while eating. Anything more than that is actually ridiculous to me.”
Key and the ECB also chose not to take action following an informal investigation into reports of excessive drinking during the Mid-Ashes holidays in Noosa, England. Footage emerged on social media from that trip in which Ben Duckett appeared to slur his words during a late-night chat with fans, one of whom advised him to “get an Uber to the Nets” due to his poor form during the series.
Brook was one of several England players photographed relaxing at a beachside bar at the Queensland resort during the day. Speaking at a press conference before the third Test in Adelaide, he said the tourists “had a great time” on the Sunshine Coast.
Although he was England’s second highest run-scorer in the Ashes series after Joe Root, Brook failed to live up to his expectations in Australia, passing 50 only twice in 10 innings and failing to score a hundred.
Announcing a post-tour review shortly after the end of the Sydney Test, ECB CEO Richard Gould confirmed his remit would include the team’s culture and conduct, as well as on-field performance.
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