T20 World Cup: England rally behind captain Harry Brook as campaign begins

MUMBAI: England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook has endured a turbulent period but he continues to enjoy strong backing from the dressing room. England’s 1-4 defeat to Australia in the Ashes was followed by off-field controversy when reports emerged that Brook was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer just hours before an ODI in Wellington in Oct.

Matters worsened when the 26-year-old, in his third public apology, admitted that he had lied about being alone during the incident.Despite being under scrutiny, Brook responded emphatically on the field, playing a key role in England’s ODI and T20I series victories in Sri Lanka. He capped the ODI series with a blistering match-winning 136 not out off just 66 balls in the final game in Colombo.

Ahead of England’s 2026 T20 World Cup opener against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, allrounder Will Jacks said Brook had accepted responsibility and was determined to move forward. “He’s obviously made a wrong decision, but he’s accepted that and we’re now trying to move forward in a positive direction,” Jacks said on Friday. “He’s making amends on the pitch and we’ll back him 100 per cent. He knows what he’s done and there’s nothing you can change about that, so there’s no point focusing on it too much. He wants his cricket to do the talking.

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