Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes Harry Brook was treated lightly after an alleged clash with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand. The cricketer-turned-commentator said that if an Australian captain had been involved in a similar incident, the punishment could have been more than a fine.
Just a day before the third ODI against New Zealand, Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington. It was reported that the bouncer stopped him from entering on suspicion of being drunk. Brook later informed team officials about the incident and apologized.
The board fined him £30,000 and issued him a caution, allowing him to avoid further punishment. Notably, the batsman led the team in the latter match and served as the vice-captain during the Ashes 2025–26 series.
If he had been the Australian captain… – Michael Clarke on Harry Brook’s altercation with the bouncer
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Michael Clarke said it was surprising that Harry Brook’s clash with the bouncer remained private for so long. He said that if the same situation had occurred in Australian cricket, the outcome would have been very different, with consequences even harsher than heavy fines.
Clarke said, “I would say they are very good at keeping a secret inside that change room because I don’t know any other team in the world that would be able to keep it away from the media for a few months. So yeah, look, wow.”
He said, “I can’t imagine what would have happened if he had been the Australian captain or the Australian vice-captain. I think I would have been fined a lot more than the expensive fine, that’s for sure.”
Did Harry Brook get out lightly after clashing with bouncer in New Zealand?
Michael Clarke says an Australian captain could have faced more than a hefty fine#around the wicket #ash pic.twitter.com/xa1VV4nN6b
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) 9 January 2026
I have some real concerns – Callum Ferguson
In the same video, Callum Ferguson said that England were overconfident. He believed that going out the night before a match, especially as captain, showed that he was confident that everything was under control. Ferguson said that the team was later exposed during the Ashes in Australia.
“I’ve got some real concerns about their mentality going into this series. Maybe they thought they were getting a little better than they actually were,” Ferguson said.
“To go out the night before a match, especially as captain, tells you they thought they had everything under control and they were flying. But we saw what happened soon after in the Ashes series – they were not flying and they were taught a real lesson in Australia,” he said.
It’s not a good sign for the series – Callum Ferguson
Callum Ferguson said there are warning signs showing in England’s Ashes preparations even before the series begins. He said the team needed to be more disciplined, especially since the ODI tour of New Zealand was their main preparation.
“You have to dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ to go into a big series like the Ashes. The ODI series in New Zealand was their main preparation. They were not coming to Australia to play many matches before the Ashes, so that was it. If you behave like that during your preparation, it is not a good sign for the series.”
ALSO READ: Michael Vaughan criticizes Harry Brooke’s ‘spoiled child’ behavior after nightclub scandal