England’s Harry Brook has apologised after being involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer the night before a one-day international on the tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes.
A report in the Telegraph revealed Brook, England’s white-ball captain, was struck by the bouncer after being refused entry to a club the night before the third ODI in Wellington.
Brook, who is also England’s Test vice-captain, has avoided being stripped of the white-ball job but has been fined around £30,000 and is on a final warning for his future conduct.
The revelation comes at the end of England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, a tour dogged by accusations of a slack team culture, including players drinking too much on a holiday in Noosa.
“I want to apologise for my actions,” said Brook in statement. “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.”
A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board 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.”
Brook, who was made white-ball captain last year, will still lead England in the forthcoming T20 World Cup and the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, beginning in two weeks’ time.
The 26-year-old has performed below his best in the Ashes, scoring 358 runs in 10 innings without a century.
Following the incident in Wellington, England slumped to 31-4 against New Zealand in a match which started at 14:00, including Brook being dismissed for six. The tourists eventually lost by two wickets.
On the same night of the altercation with the bouncer, Brook and England team-mate Jacob Bethell were filmed drinking and the video later posted on social media.
Before the fourth Ashes Test, England director of cricket Rob Key revealed he had spoken to Brook and Bethell about their behaviour in New Zealand, while at the same time confirming he would investigate England’s drinking in Noosa.
“I didn’t feel like that was worthy of formal warnings, but it was probably worthy of informal ones,” said Key.
It has been confirmed Key was referring to a clip of Brook and Bethell on social media, rather then the later incident involving Brook.
