Following a nightclub incident during the pre-Ashes tour of New Zealand last year, England white-ball captain Harry Brook and teammate Jacob Bethell have received warnings on their future behavior.
Brook and Bethell received warnings on Wednesday for violating player conduct rules from the Cricket Regulator, an organization separate from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that is in charge of implementing laws.
When Brook got into a fight with a bouncer at a Wellington nightclub on the eve of a one-day international on November 1, he initially claimed that he was alone. This event was finally made public two months later.
The ECB issued a final warning and fined Brook £30,000 ($40,000).
He then acknowledged that pacer Josh Tongue and Bethell had been there. He publicly apologized and said that he had lied to try to shield his teammates.
The following day, Brook and Bethell both played in the game, which England lost by two wickets to end the series at 0-3. Tongue was not included in the one-day international squad at the time, thus no action was taken against him.
A statement noted that the Regulator “issued a caution notice to Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell in relation to their conduct.” It further stated that both players acknowledged that they had violated the rules of professional conduct.
Brook led England to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup before losing to India in Mumbai, and many commentators thought he was fortunate to retain the captaincy.
Allegations of inadequate preparation, confused team selection, and a “drinking culture” were leveled at England’s off-field conduct in Australia prior to and during the 1-4 Ashes series defeat.
During a mid-series beach resort vacation, England players were seen spending hours in bars; a video of an obviously inebriated Ben Duckett went viral on social media.
Following an ECB review of the tour, director of men’s cricket Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum, and England Test captain Ben Stokes all retained their positions.
