Manager Michael Atherton wants Harry Brook to take personal responsibility for his off-field troubles after the player showed a lack of remorse in a celebration inspired by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, which the former England captain deemed “somewhat inappropriate”.
In the final minutes of the Ashes’ 4-1 defeat, with England facing accusations of a “drinking culture”, news broke that Brook had been involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer on a recent tour to New Zealand.
Mr Brooke apologized at the beginning of his visit to Sri Lanka and claimed he had been out alone, but was later forced to issue a statement admitting that this was not true when reports surfaced that Jacob Bethel and Josh Tan had also been fined.
The Brook incident has had a huge impact on England’s trip to Sri Lanka, with the captain and management being heavily criticized for trying to cover up the involvement of all players.
It was therefore a surprise when the Yorkshire batsman chose to celebrate his ODI-winning century in Colombo with the beer smash gesture made famous by WWE star ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
“It’s a bit frustrating when players make mistakes, like Brook did in Wellington,” Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “But then the focus shifts away from that individual responsibility.
“There’s always this cliché going around that a cover-up is worse than a crime. Stop it. It’s ridiculous.
“If he goes out the night before a game and plays too much and gets busted by bouncers, people say the problem is public relations and public relations.At some point you have to take personal responsibility.
“I thought the celebration when he got that hundred in Sri Lanka was a little bit… I mean, I don’t want to get too big about it and I’m okay with some humor, but I just thought it was a bit inappropriate and not suggestive of someone who showed a lot of repentance.
“But I agree that people make mistakes, and then you have to support them and help them grow and get better.”
Nasser: Brooke has to make things right.
Atherton’s comments came after podcast co-host Nasser Hussain insisted Brook should be given a chance to make amends, despite saying his actions and decisions in the lead up to the New Zealand nightclub incident were not befitting his role as captain.
“There has been a lot of buzz about this over the last few weeks, which is understandable, because he is England’s cricket captain and we need to make certain things come out,” Hussain added.
“One thing is for sure: there is no way England’s cricket captain could go out the night before a match, drink too much and have his bouncer clock him. That’s non-negotiable.”
“I have read articles that say he is not supported by the ECB and needs more support. For a cricketer of any age, and this is a 26-year-old player who has been in his career for a while, that is a non-negotiable as a cricket captain.
Harry Brooke accused of lack of repentance after ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin-inspired celebration of the century
“That being said, people make mistakes in life and we have to give them the opportunity to correct their mistakes.
“He’s playing in a Test team with someone who made big mistakes and made mistakes in Ben Stokes, who tried to straighten out his life off the field. Ricky Ponting, one of the greatest captains and players to ever play in this game, also went through a similar incident as a child and tried to straighten out his life.”
“Harry made some horribly wrong decisions, as we all have done in life. The question is, does he look like someone who can and wants to get things right off the field?”
England T20 World Cup fixtures (1st round)
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vs Nepal (Sunday 8 February) – Mumbai (9.30am) vs West Indies (Wednesday 11 February) – Mumbai (1.30pm) vs Scotland (Saturday 14 February) – Kolkata (9.30am) vs Italy (Monday 16 February) – Kolkata (9.30am)
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