Harry Brook admits 'regret' after claiming he was alone during New Zealand nightclub incident
The white-ball captain said he intended to "protect" his team-mates, after it emerged Josh Tongue and Jacob Bethell were also involved
England's white-ball captain Harry Brook has issued a statement saying he regrets claiming he was alone during a late night altercation on the pre-Ashes tour of New Zealand.
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The 26-year-old issued an apology earlier this month after reportedly becoming embroiled in a scuffle with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington on October 31.
At the time, the Yorkshire batter insisted he was out alone on the night in question, but it has now emerged he was joined by teammates Josh Tongue and Jacob Bethell, with all three players issued with fines.
Brook's most recent statement came on Friday after his side beat Sri Lanka in the first T20 of the series.
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He said: "I accept responsibility for my actions in Wellington and acknowledge that others were present that evening.
"I regret my previous comments and my intention was to protect my team-mates from being drawn into a situation that arose as a result of my own decisions.
"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.
"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."
The Cricket Regulator is said to be investigating the incident, according to The Telegraph.
News of the incident broke after England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat, where the team were forced to face accusations of a "drinking culture" and Brook was asked about it on arrival in Sri Lanka.
On the pitch, Brook led his side to victory in the series opener in Kandy thanks to a Sam Curran a hat-trick leading to an 11-run victory on the DLS method.
Curran became only the second England bowler to take an international T20 hat-trick, after Chris Jordan, as he blew away Sri Lanka’s lower-order to help limit the hosts to 133 all out.
Adil Rashid had earlier bamboozled the Sri Lankan batters in Kandy as he claimed three for 19 from his four overs in a stunning display which decimated the hosts’ innings.
Phil Salt made the most of two lives to lead England’s chase with 46 before rain brought an early end to proceedings with England on 125 for four – 11 ahead on the DLS method.Harry Brook’s side begin their bid for a third World T20 crown against Nepal in Mumbai on February 8.I
f England progress, as they should, from their group containing West Indies, Scotland, Nepal and Italy, their Super 8 matches will be held in Sri Lanka – both in Kandy and in Colombo where they clinched the ODI series earlier this week.
This three-match series, therefore, is important preparation heading into a tournament England have aspirations of contending to win.