It is probably too late to sack Harry Brook as England one-day skipper before the Men’s T20 World Cup starts in Sri Lanka next weekend. It would sow too much confusion and uncertainty.
When England’s part in the tournament is over, whether England have won it or performed poorly in it, he should be relieved of the job immediately. It was a bold move to give the captaincy to him in the first place and, sadly, he has proved himself utterly unsuitable for the role.
England are also discovering the age-old truth that the cover-up is often more damaging than the original offence. It is hard to see how coach Brendon McCullum, already under pressure after the manner of England’s Ashes defeat, can possibly survive this latest farrago. His complicity damns him.
Brook is a brilliant batsman with a level of ability that many believe is bordering on genius but the hard truth is that in the last six months, what has distinguished him the most in his travels in New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka is a talent for stupidity.
When he went out drinking on the eve of a game against New Zealand in Wellington last November, during his first away series as England’s limited-overs captain, and became involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer, he was lucky to keep his job.
There is no problem in cricketers having a quiet meal and perhaps a glass of wine or a beer before a game. But to go out on the lash the night before a game – which England went on to lose – is unacceptable and sets a terrible example.
Harry Brook should be relieved of the England captaincy the moment their T20 World Cup campaign ends
Brendon McCullum’s complicity in this latest farrago damns him and it is hard to see how he possibly survives it
When he reported the incident with the bouncer midway through the game in Wellington, he should have faced stiffer punishment than a £30,000 fine.
He was given a final warning over his conduct when he was in New Zealand and now that it has emerged that he lied only last week when he said he was on his own when he decided to continue his drinking session in Wellington, his captaincy has run out of lives.
Brook says he did not reveal he was out with Josh Tongue and Jacob Bethell in order to protect his teammates – and there is some honour in that – but it was foolish of him in the extreme to believe that the truth about the night out would not emerge.
He should have been honest about it straight away. He could still have taken full responsibility for what had happened.
Nor does it appear that Brook has in any way learned from what happened in Wellington. He has released a couple of trite statements saying that he has but his actions tell a different story.
Someone who regretted their actions in New Zealand, or was at least conscious that he had set a bad example, might have thought it unwise to be pictured out drinking on England’s now-infamous trip to Noosa between the Second Ashes Test in Brisbane and the Third Test in Adelaide.
Someone who regretted their actions might have thought it unwise to celebrate a superb match-winning century against Sri Lanka in Colombo last week with a ‘beer-smash’ gesture out in the middle.
The latest revelation about Bethell and Tongue being investigated for their part in the night out asks more awkward questions about how much the ECB knew about the shenanigans in Wellington and how complicit they have been in the cover-up. Their part in this is deeply dubious.
It is a thorough, and entirely avoidable, mess and instead of letting the memory of it ebb away, Brook’s subsequent actions have made it look even worse. He needs to smarten up and grow up fast but where the captaincy is concerned, he has run out of lives and out of trust. McCullum should fall with him.
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Harry Brook’s talent for stupidity proves he is utterly unsuitable to captain England, writes OLIVER HOLT – the cover-up of his drunken nightclub altercation is worse than the crime