England head coach Brendon McCullum has praised the best way Harry Brook has handled current controversy however admits his white-ball captain is a “work in progress” away from the cricket area.
Brook was fined £30,000 by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and warned about his conduct after being struck by a nightclub bouncer in Wellington the night time earlier than a one-day worldwide in opposition to New Zealand in November, a sport England misplaced by two wickets as they slumped to a 3-0 collection defeat.
Brook’s indiscretion solely grew to become public information in January as England slumped to a 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, at which level he had insisted he had been alone on the night time out.
Over the weekend he admitted he had lied to guard his team-mates Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue, who had been out with him in New Zealand and are actually being investigated by The Cricket Regulator, a physique impartial from the ECB that has the facility to carry disrepute fees.
Brook retained the captaincy of England’s limited-overs sides regardless of the incident and impressed on their tour of Sri Lanka by guiding his aspect to a 2-1 ODI collection victory and a 3-0 clear sweep in T20s.
Talking after England had sealed victory on Tuesday within the ultimate match of the collection, McCullum stated: “I believed Brooky was sensational along with his ways all through each collection.
“He is had a tough time of late off the sphere, however he is a tricky lad to have the ability to put that apart and nonetheless lead these boys within the method that he did, and present the tactical nous that he has as a cricketer was excellent.
“I do sometimes think that people think that Brooky’s not that clever. I couldn’t disagree with that more. He wears his intelligence lightly. He’s got a very good tactical cricket brain.
“He is a piece in progress off the sphere. He isn’t alone with that, and that is our job to assist shepherd him by means of. However on the sphere, he is definitely excelling in the meanwhile.”
England start their T20 World Cup marketing campaign in opposition to Nepal on Sunday, with Bethell and Tongue additionally a part of the squad going to India.
McCullum’s future has additionally been a subject of hypothesis following England’s massively disappointing Ashes show, with administration’s dealing with of the Brook saga additionally coming beneath scrutiny.
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He added: “He’s a tough lad, Brooky. He put his hand up, tried to protect his boys as well. Obviously, we’d dealt with everything in the manner that we thought was required internally, and he was disciplined and the boys were disciplined, and obviously, very stern words spoken.
“However from there, it has been about attempting to help these lads. And Brooky’s been completely good to have the ability to come clean with issues, put his hand up, and nonetheless cross the road into the sector and never lose his confidence or be distracted by issues occurring.”
McCullum also reiterated the importance of looking out for his players’ mental health amid the relentless schedule international cricketers face, particularly the likes of Brook who feature across all formats.
“Cricket is such a novel sport as a result of it is 12 months of the 12 months,” McCullum said. “It isn’t like every other sport, it’s a must to be up for 12 months 12 months on 12 months on 12 months.
“It can be challenging mentally for a lot of guys, and cricket’s got a history of issues in that space. So, our job as leaders and our job at English cricket is to make sure we look after these boys.
“Sure, self-discipline in occasions the place errors have been made, however from now, it is about taking care of them and defending them and attempting to be sure that we put house between these occasions.”
England’s T20 World Cup fixtures (first round)
All times UK and Ireland; all games live on Sky Sports
- vs Nepal (Sunday February 8) – Mumbai (9.30am)
- vs West Indies (Wednesday February 11) – Mumbai (1.30pm)
- vs Scotland (Saturday February 14) – Kolkata (9.30am)
- vs Italy (Monday February 16) – Kolkata (9.30am)
Watch every match of the Men’s T20 World Cup live from February 7 to March 8 on Sky Sports. Get Sky Sports activities or stream contract-free with NOW.
