Brook was disciplined by the ECB after admitting that he had been out drinking the night before he captained England in their third ODI against New Zealand on November 1 and that he was “clocked” by a bouncer when trying to gain access to a late-night venue. England considered stripping him of the captaincy but instead opted to fine him in a process that was not made public.
The case was referred to the Cricket Regulator – an independent body which enforces the game’s regulations in England and Wales, and is ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB – which found that Bethell and Brook were both in breach of Regulation 3.2 of the ECB’s Professional Conduct Regulations.
The regulation reads: “No Participant may conduct themself in a manner, do any act or make any omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”
Bethell and Brook have both accepted the ‘caution notices’ issued to them, which effectively places them on a final warning. They will not be issued with a ‘charge letter’ but the notice will remain on their disciplinary record for the next three years.
Tongue, who said this week that he had “learned from” the incident, has had no further action taken against him.
Rob Key said in December that England had encountered “none of these issues” since he became managing director, when asked about footage that showed players out drinking on the night in question. He also denied that any formal disciplinary action had been taken, though he has since claimed he meant specifically as a result of the footage.
Key admitted after the ECB’s post-Ashes review – which focused in part on England’s culture and environment – that he was concerned by some players’ drinking. “Like a lot of teams, there’s two or three players that can be irresponsible with alcohol given the opportunity,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is try to find that happy medium.”
England introduced a midnight curfew ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup earlier this year, which is expected to remain in place this summer.
Brook, England’s Test vice-captain, is expected to play some County Championship cricket for Yorkshire before England’s three-match series against New Zealand in June. Bethell, who is also Brook’s de facto vice-captain in white-ball cricket, is at the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
