LONDON: England white-ball captain Harry Brook and teammate Jacob Bethell have been warned about their future conduct after an incident at a nightclub during the pre-Ashes tour of New Zealand last year.
The Cricket Regulator – an independent body of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) responsible for enforcing regulations – issued warnings to Brook and Bethell on Wednesday for breaching player conduct rules.
Brook originally claimed he was alone when he was involved in an altercation with a bouncer at a Wellington nightclub on the eve of a one-day international match on November 1, an incident which did not come to light until two months later.
Brook was fined £30,000 ($40,000) by the ECB and given a final warning.
He later admitted that Bethell and fast bowler Josh Tongue were present, explaining that he had lied in an attempt to protect his teammates and apologized publicly.
Brook and Bethell both played in the match the following day, which England lost by two wickets to complete a 3–0 series defeat.
No action was taken against Tongue, who was not part of the one-day international squad at the time.
The regulator “has issued a warning to Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell regarding their conduct,” a statement said.
He added that both players admitted to having breached the ethics regulations.
Many observers believed Brook was lucky to retain the captaincy for the T20 World Cup, where he led England to the semi-finals before losing to India in Mumbai.
England’s off-field behavior in Australia before and during the 4-1 Ashes defeat came under heavy fire, with allegations of poor preparation, confusing team selection and a “drinking culture”.
The England players were pictured spending hours in bars during a mid-series seaside break, with a video of an apparently drunk Ben Duckett circulating on social media.
England Test captain Ben Stokes, coach Brendon McCullum and director of men’s cricket Rob Key have all kept their jobs following an ECB review of the tour.
