England white-ball captain Harry Brook has admitted team-mates were present when he had a late-night altercation with a bouncer on the eve of a one day international (ODI) in New Zealand.
Brook, 26, was disciplined for the incident last October and had always maintained that he went to a nightclub in Wellington on his own.
However, he confirmed in a statement released on Friday that “others were present” and that he had lied to “protect” his team-mates.
“I accept responsibility for my actions in Wellington and acknowledge that others were present that evening,” Brook said in a statement released by the England Cricket Board (ECB). “I regret my previous comments and my intention was to protect my teammates from being drawn into a situation that arose as a result of my own decisions.
“I have apologised and will continue to reflect on the matter. This has been a challenging period in my career, but one from which I am learning.
“I recognise that I have more to learn regarding the off-field responsibilities that come with leadership and captaincy. I remain committed to developing in this area and to improving both personally and professionally.”
Brook was placed on a final warning over his future conduct and fined £30,000 following the incident outside a nightclub, which took place on the eve of the third one-day international against New Zealand just before the Ashes series.
Speaking about the altercation for the first time in January, Brook said: “We went out for a couple of drinks beforehand and then I took it upon myself to go out for a few more, and I was on my own there.
“I was trying to get into a club and the bouncer just clocked me, unfortunately. Like I said, I shouldn’t have been in that situation from the start… I wasn’t absolutely leathered. I’d had one too many drinks.”
He also admitted that he was “lucky” to retain the England captaincy.
A video of the beginning of the evening emerged at the time, where Brook was sat in a bar with batter Jacob Bethell and a number of non-playing squad members. The Telegraph reported on Friday that Bethell and fast bowler Josh Tongue were also present outside the nightclub.
The report states the pair were also fined and are being investigated by the Cricket Regulator.
Brook, who issued his statement after leading England to victory in the first T20 in Sri Lanka today, will captain the team in the T20 World Cup which starts in Sri Lanka and India next Saturday. England begin their tournament against Nepal in Mumbai next Sunday.