England white-ball captain Harry Brook has admitted that teammates were present during a nightclub altercation in Wellington last year, backtracking on his earlier claim that he was alone. The 26-year-old issued a statement on Friday following reports that the Cricket Regulator is investigating Brook, Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue over their conduct that evening.
In his statement, Brook said: “I accept responsibility for my actions in Wellington and acknowledge that others were present that evening. I regret my previous comments and my intention was to protect my teammates from being drawn into a situation that arose as a result of my own decisions. I have apologised and will continue to reflect on the matter.”
The incident occurred on the eve of the third ODI against New Zealand, Brook’s first away series as limited-overs captain. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) later confirmed it had dealt with the matter “through a formal and confidential disciplinary process”, and reported that all three players were fined.
Speaking at the start of England’s tour of Sri Lanka, Brook acknowledged he was fortunate to remain captain. “Even if I had been sacked, I’d have held my hands up and said: ‘Look, I’ve made the mistake,’” he said. “I’ve got a little bit of work to do to try to regain the trust of the players. It’s not acceptable as a player, but as a captain it’s really not acceptable to do what I did in New Zealand.”
Brook’s U-turn comes as he prepares to lead England at the upcoming T20 World Cup, beginning against Nepal in Mumbai. England started their Sri Lanka tour with a 2-1 ODI series win, Brook hitting a match-winning century in the decider, and won the opening T20 on Friday by 11 runs via DLS.
