Harry Brook tendered an apology for “bringing embarrassment” to himself and the England cricket team for a brawl with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand the night before the third One-Day International between England and the Black Caps. England had toured New Zealand just before they landed in Australia for the disastrous Ashes trip. Reports in the British media noted that Brook, who is England’s white ball captain, was struck by the club’s bouncer after the cricketer was refused entry to the club.
The incident was first reported by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph right when England were being roundly criticised for their tour of Australia, where they lost 1-4 in the five-Test series. According to the report, Brook was slapped with a fine of 30,000 pounds ($40,300) at the time and given a final warning for his future conduct. Brook was not stripped of the white-ball captaincy. He also continued to be the vice captain of the England team in the recently-concluded Ashes tour.
Brook’s batting has been criticised by many England legends like Michael Atherton and Geoffrey Boycott. Boycott, in fact, bashed Brook as a “waste of talent” during the Ashes.
After the late night incident, Brook led England in the third ODI the next afternoon at 2 p.m. He was dismissed for six runs and New Zealand won the game by two wickets to sweep the series 3-0.
Harry Brook’s apology
“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,” Brook was quoted as saying in a statement by the BBC.
England’s Harry Brook reacts after he was dismissed during play on day four of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney. (AP Photo)
“Representing England is the greatest honour of all, which I take seriously and I am deeply sorry for letting down my teammates, 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 (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 apologised and acknowledged their conduct fell below expectations on this occasion.”
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The incident of Brook getting into a brawl with a nightclub bouncer comes on the heels of reports of the England team over-indulging in drinking in the Australian resort town of Noosa. These much-criticised drinking sessions happened during the days between the second and third Ashes Tests, both of which England lost.
While media reports from England suggest that players and management will be subjected to performance reviews for a disappointing Ashes campaign, Brook will still be the captain of England for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka followed by the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and India next month.