Harry Brook is on a final warning about his conduct after a late-night altercation with a bouncer just hours before captaining England on the tour that preceded the Ashes.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that:
Brook was close to being sacked as white-ball captain after an investigation by the team’s management
He was struck by a bouncer who would not allow him into a nightclub
Brook was fined around £30,000 ($70,000), the maximum amount possible by the ECB, for the incident
England’s conduct during the Ashes, which started shortly after the tour to New Zealand, has beenheavily criticised – in particular a mid-series holiday to Noosa where players, including Brook, were pictured drinking.
Ben Duckett was also filmed apparently drunk and disoriented late at night by an England fan.
It can now be revealed that Brook, England’s Test vice-captain, was already on a final warning for his behaviour before arriving in Australia.
The altercation occurred in Wellington on October 31 after the 26-year-old was refused entry to a nightclub because security suspected he was drunk. Brook became embroiled in a row with a bouncer and was struck, although he did not suffer any injury.
It is understood that Brook reported himself to the management and there was no third-party complaint, but he was lucky to survive as captain considering the incident happened the night before a match.
The match in question was the third ODI at the Sky Stadium in Wellington, a day-nighter that started at 2pm. England slumped to 31 for four batting first with Brook out for six off 11 balls. They lost the match by two wickets, and were beaten 3-0 in the series.
An ECB spokesperson 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 apologised and acknowledged their conduct fell below expectations on this occasion.”
He was fined the maximum amount allowed under the England central contract protocols, which is 4% of the player’s retainer. For Brook, that would be around £30,000 ($70,000).
Brook apologised for his behaviour in a statement released to Telegraph Sport: “I want to apologise for my actions. I fully accept that my behaviour was wrong and brought embarrassment to both myself and the England team.
“Representing England is the greatest honour of all, which I take seriously and I am deeply sorry for letting down my team-mates, coaches and supporters. I have reflected on the lessons it has taught me about responsibility, professionalism and the standards expected of those representing your country.
“I am determined to learn from this mistake and to rebuild trust through my future actions, both on and off the field. I apologise unreservedly and will work hard to ensure this does not happen again.”
Since being put on a final warning, Brook has endured a disappointing Ashes tour, failing to live up to his standing as the world’s No 2-ranked batsman in Test cricket. He scored just two fifties in 10 innings.
During the team’s time in Wellington at the end of October, a group of players, including Brook, were filmed drinking in a rooftop bar on the night in question . However, the altercation involving Brook was separate to that and happened later.
The players in that group did not face any formal disciplinary action.
Rob Key, the England director of cricket, was asked about the players drinking the night before a match after reports emerged of boozy behaviour on a mid-Ashes series break in Noosa. At the time, he was referring to the players filmed in the bar and not the Brook altercation.
Brook apologised, acknowledging his conduct fell below expectations, and was fined around £30,000. Photo / Getty Images
Key said: “There wasn’t any action, like formal action. We’ve had four years where we’ve had none of these issues really, with any of the players. And there’s a whole process that we put in place for stuff like that for what you do if they’re out of line. And I didn’t feel like that was worthy of formal warnings. But it was probably worthy of informal ones.”
Key also investigated the video of Duckett in Noosa , but the player was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Andrew Strauss imposed a midnight curfew on the England team after Jonny Bairstow was accused of a playful headbutt on an Australian cricketer, Cameron Bancroft, in a bar at the start of the 2017-18 tour. It followed Ben Stokes’ notorious arrest in Bristol.
The curfew was unpopular with the players and management but remained in place until McCullum and Stokes took over in 2022. They preferred the players to take responsibility for their actions and be held accountable if they misbehaved.
Brook was made England white-ball captain in place of Jos Buttler in March last year and promoted to the Test vice-captaincy for the Ashes, replacing Ollie Pope, and is being groomed to be Stokes’ replacement.
Brook will lead England at his first global tournament next month at the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Before that there is a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka that starts on January 22.
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