Published: Jan 31, 2026, 04:56 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 31, 2026, 04:56 PM (IST)
England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook has admitted that he still has ‘more to learn’ when it comes to his off-field responsibilities, following a nightclub incident in Wellington in October last year. Brook had earlier concealed the full details of the incident to protect his teammates, but has now acknowledged his mistake.
Initially, Brook claimed he was alone on the night he was punched by a nightclub bouncer. However, it later emerged that he had been out with Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue before the incident. Brook chose to take full responsibility and did not mention his teammates, saying he wanted to shield them from scrutiny.
In a statement released after England’s win in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on Friday, Brook repeated the apology he had already made earlier in the tour.
“I accept responsibility for my actions in Wellington and acknowledge that others were present that evening,” Brook said.
“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 recognise that I have more to learn regarding the off-field responsibilities that come with leadership and captaincy. I remain committed to developing in this area and to improving both personally and professionally,” he added.
The incident occurred on the eve of England’s third ODI against New Zealand, and Brook, Bethell and Tongue are currently under investigation by the Cricket Regulator. Brook has already been fined the maximum penalty of 30,000 pound and was issued a final warning regarding his off-field behaviour.
Speaking last week in Colombo, Brook admitted the incident had affected his relationship with teammates and said he needed to regain their trust.
“We went out for a couple of drinks beforehand and then I took it upon myself to go out for a few more and I was on my own there,” Brook had said.
“I was trying to get into a club and the bouncer just clocked me, unfortunately. Like I said, I shouldn’t have been in that situation from the start… I wasn’t absolutely leathered, I’d had one too many drinks.”
Brook acknowledged that the episode has been one of the toughest moments in his career.
“I have apologised and will continue to reflect on the matter. This has been a challenging period in my career, but one from which I am learning.”
Harry Brook (C), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tong, Luke Wood
(With PTI Inputs )
