England have won only four ODIs in their 15 matches.
England white-ball skipper Harry Brook has reflected on a drunken incident with a bouncer during England’s tour of New Zealand last November. He admitted that he was fortunate not to be fired from the captaincy after the event, which came to light following an Ashes 2025 drubbing.
Harry Brook recognises he has “work to do to regain trust.” He acknowledged that he could have been sacked.
“If they’d sacked me as captain, I’d have been perfectly fine—as long as I was still playing for England,” Harry Brook told reporters. When asked if he felt lucky to keep his job, he replied, “Probably slightly, yeah.”
On October 31, Brook was punched outside a Wellington nightclub, just hours before he was set to captain an ODI. He only informed team management during the third ODI against New Zealand at Sky Stadium, where England stumbled to 31/4, and Brook was out for 6 off 11 balls.
After being refused entry following a late-night drinking session, Harry Brook was “clocked” by the bouncer in what he described as “very unprofessional” scenes. He received the maximum fine of INR 36.96 Lakhs from the England Cricket Board (ECB) and introduced a midnight curfew for the Sri Lanka ODIs beginning Thursday, January 22.
This incident added to the criticism following England’s mid-series trip to Noosa, which featured drinking photos and conduct in the Ashes 2025. Harry Brook refused that there is a “drinking culture” inside the England dressing room, insisting it did not affect performance. However, Harry Brook later apologised to his teammates, fans, and the ECB about his behaviour.
“I’m extremely sorry for putting them in a tricky situation. It’ll never happen again,” Brook gave assurance.
While there was no police involvement, and Brook was uninjured, the England white-ball captain refused to share details about his companions.
As England prepared to face Sri Lanka, Harry Brook was set to lead with renewed determination. This incident highlights the pressures of leadership in the midst of scrutiny off the field and the burden of England’s ODI and T20I series defeats against New Zealand and the Ashes 2025 loss.
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The three-match ODI series also holds a huge significance for England as they aim to secure direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa. They won only four of their 15 matches. This puts them at risk of not qualifying automatically for the next World Cup, with the cut-off date in March next year. To avoid the qualifier, England needs to stay ahead of either West Indies or Bangladesh in the ICC standings. This would allow them to finish in the top eight teams, excluding the tournament hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
They currently have an 11-point lead over West Indies, with Bangladesh just one point behind. Zimbabwe trails by another 22 points and does not pose a real threat. England will play India, Australia, and South Africa in ODIs over the next year, so securing wins against Sri Lanka will be crucial to maintain their position and avoid adding a Qualifier tournament to their schedule.
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