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England white-ball captain Harry Brook has publicly apologized following a late-night altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington, New Zealand, in October 2025. Brook, who is in Sri Lanka for England’s ODI series starting Thursday, confirmed that he has been fined £30,000 and issued a final warning by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his conduct. ESPNcricinfo quoted Brook saying,

“Obviously I made a terrible mistake. Not only as a player, but as a captain. It’s very unprofessional and I should be leading from the front. I’ve learnt from my mistakes... I want to say sorry to my team-mates, to all the fans... and to the ECB for putting them in a tricky situation, and it'll never happen again. I’m extremely sorry.”

The incident occurred the night before the third ODI against New Zealand, with Brook having gone out for drinks with teammates before heading alone to a nightclub. He was “clocked” by a bouncer while attempting entry. Brook reported the episode to team management during the match the following day.

The ECB’s disciplinary action included the maximum allowable fine and a final warning. Brook acknowledged he was fortunate to retain the captaincy and stated he is actively working to regain the trust of his team. Brook informed that he has taken advice from the country's Test captain, Ben Stokes, on this issue. Stokes, who himself got involved once in such a nightclub incident in 2018, was indeed annoyed but stood in the thick and thin for Brook.

Brook defended the team’s off-field behavior, denying a widespread drinking culture.  Most importantly, he did not deny that the English dont drink, but there are no hard and fast rules on drinking rather individuality and choices. “Everybody has the ability to say no,” he said. To ensure discipline, England have implemented a curfew for their Sri Lanka tour, barring players from leaving past midnight, and Brook has his full support to it,

England are scheduled to play three ODIs followed by three T20Is. The side has made adjustments since the New Zealand series, including Zak Crawley’s return as opener, replacing Jamie Smith. Liam Dawson has been included alongside Adil Rashid in the spin department. Brook concluded, 

“It was unacceptable as a captain, and I hold my hands up. I’ve apologized to the team and am focused on performing on the field.”

The team continues preparations under head coach Brendon McCullum, with Brook emphasizing his full support for McCullum’s leadership.

England XI for ODIs vs Sri Lanka: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid.