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Here we all were hoping the punch had knocked some sense into him. That the bouncer who 'clocked' him had done English cricket a big favour.

Made someone with huge talent but minimal brains, realise what responsibilities he has as one of the most high-profile sportsmen in his his sport. Think again.

There's a phrase in Yorkshire to describe someone who is not the sharpest tool in the box. That person is described as being as 'thick as mince'.

Which brings us neatly to the current fiasco surrounding Harry Brook and English cricket. Call it a delayed reaction from being smacked in the mush, but Brook has decided to come clean about that incident outside a Wellington bar.

He had no choice, after a newspaper exposed him as a liar. Having said he was alone that night, it turns out he wasn't. He was with some team-mates. Brook insist he lied about what happened because he wanted to protect his colleagues. But what he's actually done is expose both himself and his bosses as people who are capable of being economical with the truth.

• England captain Harry Brook breaks silence on 'terrible mistake' after bouncer incident

• England cricketers slapped with World Cup curfew after boozy Ashes antics

Brook is accountable to those who employ him. Yet those who do employ him have been complicit in a cover up which has left all their reputations in tatters.

Head coach Brendon McCullum, director of cricket Rob Key and ECB chief executive Richard Gould have spoken publicly since the Brook incident. Key said it only merited 'informal action'.

During the Ashes that followed, McCullum defended England's drinking. At the end of the Ashes, Gould promised a full review of player behaviour. These blokes did so in with full knowledge of what happened in Wellington, but failed to reference it.

Instead, these three wise men chose not to make a full disclosure of what took place, and took the risk of allowing the information to trickle out like poison. Which it now has done.

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The ECB's response to this toxic event has been to tighten the culture surrounding the England team. Resulting in the sum total of introducing a midnight curfew on players and appointing a fielding coach. That's the best the organisation can do, in the wake of a completing shellacking Down Under.

Despite the most alarming offence taking place before a ball was even bowled in Australia.

McCullum, Key and Gould should all be hanging their heads in shame. The trio have betrayed English cricket, and all those supporters who spent fortunes on travelling to the other side of the world to watch a series which was utterly farcical.

McCullum & Co knew full well the environment around the team was wrong before the Ashes started. But did nothing about it until the urn was lost. Morally bankrupt doesn't begin to do justice to describing how all those responsible have behaved.

English cricket is now a laughing stock. All three should resign with immediate effect.

And whoever replaces them should not only strip Brook of the white ball captaincy, but pray Stokes carries on as Test skipper long enough for them to come up with a suitable successor.

An alternative choice to the Yorkshire pudding who leaves a bitter taste behind him.