England’s Brook hopes to move on from ‘horrendous’ NZ controversy

England white-ball captain Harry Brook opened up on the “horrendous” fallout from the New Zealand nightclub controversy, saying he hopes the episode does not shadow the rest of his career.

Brook, who is set to lead England in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup, has been in the eye of a storm since news emerged of his altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand late last year.

“It has been pretty horrendous, to be honest, but that is part of it,” Brook, 26, told the BBC on Saturday, a day before his side’s opening match against Nepal.

“All I do is hit a ball with a bat and that’s what I want to carry on doing for the rest of my career. “I’d rather it had not happened, but it’s happened now and we’ve got to move forward. Hopefully things can blow over and things are brighter on the other side.”

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Brook, who was fined by the English cricket board for his conduct in New Zealand, said the episode had reinforced how much responsibility comes with the captaincy.

“I’ve definitely learned there’s a hell of a lot more responsibility on your shoulders when you’re captain,” he said.

“When you’re a leader you can’t take that responsibility lightly.

“You have got to lead from the front on and off the field, and anything you do can really turn against you, so you have got to on the ball pretty much all of the time.”

England, placed in Group C, alongside Italy, Nepal, Scotland and West Indies, will begin their campaign against Nepal on Sunday in Mumbai.