Harry Brooke: England head coach Brendan McCullum defends white-ball captain after New Zealand controversy Cricket News

England head coach Brendan McCallum has praised Harry Brooke for the way he has handled recent controversy but admitted his white-ball captain’s work away from the cricket field is “a work in progress”.

Brooke was fined £30,000 and given a warning for his conduct by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the night before a one-day international against New Zealand in Wellington in November, which saw England lose 0-3 by two wickets.

Brook’s indiscretion did not become public knowledge until January, during England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia, when he insisted he was the only one out that night.

He admitted at the weekend that he had lied to protect team-mates Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue, who played with him in New Zealand and is now under investigation by cricket’s regulator, a body independent of the ECB with the power to make the disreputable allegations.

Despite the incident, Brooke retained the captaincy of England’s limited-overs side and impressed on the tour of Sri Lanka, guiding the team to a 2-1 ODI series victory and a 3-0 sweep in the 20th over.

Speaking after England’s victory in the final series on Tuesday, McCullum said: “I thought Brook’s tactics in both series were brilliant.

“He’s been through a tough time off the field recently but he’s a strong lad who’s been able to put that aside and still lead these boys in the same way he did before and show the great tactical awareness he has as a cricketer.

“I do sometimes think people think Brook is not that smart. I totally disagree with that. He is light on intelligence. He has a very good tactical cricket brain.

“He’s improving off the court. He’s not alone and it’s our job to help him through it. But on the court, he’s definitely doing great right now.”

England will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Nepal on Sunday, with Besser and Tongue also traveling to India with the team.

McCullum’s future has also been the subject of speculation after England’s hugely disappointing Ashes campaign, with management’s handling of the Brooke saga also coming under scrutiny.

He added: “Brooke, he’s a strong lad. He put his hands up and tried to protect his kids as well. “Obviously we handled everything the way we thought it was required internally and he was disciplined and the kids were disciplined and obviously we said very harsh things.”

“But from that point on, our focus was just trying to support the lads. Brooke was absolutely outstanding in being able to acknowledge things, put his hands up and still get across the finish line and into the arena without losing confidence or being distracted by what was going on.”

McCallum also reiterated the importance of focusing on the mental health of players amid the unforgiving schedule faced by international cricketers, especially those like Brook who have performed across all formats.

“Cricket is a very unique sport because there are 12 months in the year,” McCallum said. “It’s not like any other game where you have to do it 12 months year after year.

“It’s mentally challenging for a lot of people and cricket has always had problems in this area. So it’s our job as leaders and in England Cricket to make sure we look after these boys.

“Yes, discipline when mistakes are made, but from now on, we’re going to take care of them, protect them and try to make sure we leave space between those mistakes.”