Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey

England head coach Brendon McCullum has labelled the media’s trial of Harry Brook’s nightclub incident as “annoying.”

McCullum believes that the issue has been handled “pretty well,” and he sees no reason why the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) should release any more findings “every time something arises.”

Brendon McCullum calls on media to support Harry Brook and England players

“I don’t think we need to release all of those findings every time something arises to the media. Others will have their own opinions…The process was done internally at the ECB, which we were all a part of. The boys were under no uncertain terms of how we felt about it, but now our job is to support them,” McCullum said after England’s victory over Sri Lanka in the T20I series, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“And, to be honest, I find it quite annoying that we keep going on and on about it, because these are young men who are under immense pressure and they’ve put their hand up for something they’ve been disciplined for, and piling onto them is not helpful for anyone.”

The incident in question dates back to England’s tour of New Zealand before the Ashes. White-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer at a Wellington nightclub after being refused entry. The event happened on the eve of the third ODI and was first reported by The Telegraph after England’s 1-4 drubbing at the hands of Australia.

Brook initially said that he was alone that night but has since admitted that fast bowler Josh Tongue and top-order batter Jacob Bethell were there with him. McCullum said he wasn’t aware of Brook’s initial comment and that the English white-ball captain was trying to protect his teammates. The former New Zealand skipper also revealed that he was made aware of the incident when the third ODI in Wellington was in progress, adding that the players involved were “highly embarrassed.”

McCullum gives strong defence of Harry Brook

“Brooky obviously was trying to protect his other players when he made that comment, I wasn’t aware of that comment until I was told, because I don’t read the media personally. I think he was quite keen to put his hand up when the information came that it was going to land in the media. He was hopeful that it had been dealt with internally, as we all were.”

Brook’s intelligence has often been under spotlight due to his poor decision making on field. However, McCullum launched a strong defense of his captain, stating that he believes that the young dynamic batter has a “very good head on his shoulders.”

“He is a strong leader, he’s a young man, but he’s got a very good head on his shoulders, and I know people will say he’s not that clever. I couldn’t disagree with that more. He wears his intelligence lightly, and he’s a very strong leader, and he’s someone that they play for in their dressing-room as well, and our job is to just keep looking after him because he is still young.”

Brook now heads to India for his first big assignment as England’s white-ball captain. The two-time T20 World Champions are coming off a morale-boosting 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka and will now look to hit the ground running as they aim for a historic third title. 

For Brook, it will be a stern test both on and off the field. His individual performance, decision-making, and leadership skills will be tested. But there lies an opportunity to redeem himself after what has been a winter to forget for the Yorkshireman.