Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook have escaped further censure after their incident in Wellington. Photo: REUTERS/File
Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell have escaped with a formal warning from the England and Wales Cricket Board’s independent regulator after being found to have brought the game into disrepute following a late-night incident in Wellington last year.
Brook had already been disciplined internally by the ECB after admitting he had been out drinking the night before captaining England in the third One-Day International against New Zealand on November 1. The batter also acknowledged he had been “clocked” by a bouncer while attempting to gain entry to a late-night venue.
England had considered stripping Brook of the captaincy for the match but ultimately opted to fine him in a process that was not made public at the time.
Details of the incident only emerged more than two months later, shortly after England’s defeat in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, through a report in the Daily Telegraph. Brook initially claimed he had been alone but later admitted he was accompanied by Bethell and fellow England player Josh Tongue, adding that he had lied to protect his team-mates.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Cricket Regulator, an independent body responsible for enforcing professional conduct regulations in England and Wales and operating separately from the ECB.
Following its investigation, the regulator ruled that both Brook and Bethell had breached Regulation 3.2 of the ECB’s Professional Conduct Regulations.
The regulation states: “No Participant may conduct themself in a manner, do any act or make any omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”
Both players accepted “caution notices” issued by the regulator, effectively placing them on a final warning. While no formal charge letter will be issued, the notices will remain on their disciplinary records for the next three years.
No further action has been taken against Tongue, who said earlier this week that he had “learned from” the episode.
The incident has also drawn attention to England’s team culture, particularly around alcohol consumption during tours.
ECB managing director Rob Key said in December that England had encountered “none of these issues” since his appointment when asked about footage showing players out drinking on the night in question. He also denied that any formal disciplinary action had been taken, later clarifying that he was referring specifically to action arising from the footage.
However, Key acknowledged concerns following the ECB’s post-Ashes review, which examined the team’s environment and standards.
“Like a lot of teams, there’s two or three players that can be irresponsible with alcohol given the opportunity,” Key said. “What we’re trying to do is try to find that happy medium.”
In response, England introduced a midnight curfew ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup earlier this year. The measure is expected to remain in place for the upcoming home summer.
Brook, who serves as England’s Test vice-captain, is expected to feature in County Championship matches for Yorkshire before England’s three-match series against New Zealand in June.
Bethell, meanwhile, is currently in India representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.
