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Brook, Bethell cautioned over Wellington incident | The Express Tribune
Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook have escaped further censure after their incident in Wellington. Photo: REUTERS/File
Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell have escaped with a formal warning from the England and Wales Cricket Board’s independent regulator after being found to have brought the game into disrepute following a late-night incident in Wellington last year.
Brook had already been disciplined internally by the ECB after admitting he had been out drinking the night before captaining England in the third One-Day International against New Zealand on November 1. The batter also acknowledged he had been “clocked” by a bouncer while attempting to gain entry to a late-night venue.
England had considered stripping Brook of the captaincy for the match but ultimately opted to fine him in a process that was not made public at the time.
Details of the incident only emerged more than two months later, shortly after England’s defeat in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, through a report in the Daily Telegraph. Brook initially claimed he had been alone but later admitted he was accompanied by Bethell and fellow England player Josh Tongue, adding that he had lied to protect his team-mates.
The matter was subsequently referred to the Cricket Regulator, an independent body responsible for enforcing professional conduct regulations in England and Wales and operating separately from the ECB.
Following its investigation, the regulator ruled that both Brook and Bethell had breached Regulation 3.2 of the ECB’s Professional Conduct Regulations.
The regulation states: “No Participant may conduct themself in a manner, do any act or make any omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”
Both players accepted “caution notices” issued by the regulator, effectively placing them on a final warning. While no formal charge letter will be issued, the notices will remain on their disciplinary records for the next three years.
No further action has been taken against Tongue, who said earlier this week that he had “learned from” the episode.
The incident has also drawn attention to England’s team culture, particularly around alcohol consumption during tours.
ECB managing director Rob Key said in December that England had encountered “none of these issues” since his appointment when asked about footage showing players out drinking on the night in question. He also denied that any formal disciplinary action had been taken, later clarifying that he was referring specifically to action arising from the footage.
However, Key acknowledged concerns following the ECB’s post-Ashes review, which examined the team’s environment and standards.
“Like a lot of teams, there’s two or three players that can be irresponsible with alcohol given the opportunity,” Key said. “What we’re trying to do is try to find that happy medium.”
In response, England introduced a midnight curfew ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup earlier this year. The measure is expected to remain in place for the upcoming home summer.
Brook, who serves as England’s Test vice-captain, is expected to feature in County Championship matches for Yorkshire before England’s three-match series against New Zealand in June.
Bethell, meanwhile, is currently in India representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.
It’s been over a week since North Carolina fired basketball coach Hubert Davis. Since then, there have been few updates on the Tar Heels’ coaching search.
The silence is deafening, so deafening that despite a dynamic men’s Final Four in Indianapolis this weekend — UConn vs. Illinois, Arizona vs. Michigan — UNC will be a primary topic of discussion, from power broker-filled downtown bars to news conferences in Lucas Oil Stadium, with up to three potential targets involved among the four head coaches.
“People are going to speculate all they want,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Tuesday. “This team has my full focus. Nothing, nothing, I promise you — nothing — is knocking me off that path.”
There is no doubt Lloyd is all about leading the Wildcats to a national title. What he said also wasn’t a denial of interest in the job.
And it is just the start, not just for Lloyd, but Michigan’s Dusty May and even, perhaps, Connecticut’s Dan Hurley. (Illinois’ Brad Underwood is not believed to be on the radar).
The belief is UNC is willing to go “outside the family” — i.e., a non-alumni or former assistant — for the first time since 1952, when it hired St. John’s coach Frank McGuire.
If it wanted anyone else outside the Final Four teams, then this would likely be over. Yet, sources across the sport say Carolina has done little to no outreach to perceived second-tier candidates, suggesting that barring a surprise, they are waiting to talk to their top choice(s).
Meanwhile, there is the transfer portal, which is how rosters are increasingly built. It opens Tuesday. If someone isn’t in place by then — much of the work is actually already being done — then the prospects for next season are already troubling. So what else would explain the delay?
Someone among Lloyd, May and/or Hurley must be the target.
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s name has been floated, but even if he wanted to leave the NBA, there is little chance he would do so before the end of the season on April 12. That makes his timing, portal-wise at least, even worse.
No fan wants to hear their coach linked to an opening. However, in an era where rosters are increasingly year-to-year deals, the impact of such talk is less likely to rattle a locker room.
Maybe the better question is whether any of them would actually go, rather than using the one-sided interest to garner a raise?
UNC remains a special place, and again can be a great program, but this isn’t 10 years ago, let alone 25.
The parts that made it elite — tradition, the ACC, the Duke rivalry, television exposure, fan attention, shoe company alignment, etc. — matter less. Money for players, style of play and personality of the coach matter more.
That certainly doesn’t make every job even — it’s still Carolina — but the gap likely isn’t as wide.
In the extreme, consider Hurley, who can win his third title in four years, which would be more than the two that Smith won across 36 seasons in Chapel Hill. It also would be UConn’s seventh national championship since 1999, or one more than UNC has ever won.
How isn’t UConn the best program in the country, especially for Hurley, whose general demeanor could be described as outraged New York City taxi driver?
That works in the Northeast. Maybe not elsewhere.
As for Lloyd and May, why leave places that have already proved capable of providing the resources and support to construct powerhouse teams? These aren’t upstart clubs on unexpected, underdog Final Four runs. They’ve been dominant all season.
What resources can UNC provide that they don’t currently enjoy? How much better can they get? And on the flip side, what hidden hurdles await in Chapel Hill, political or otherwise?
There is the matter of money. Lloyd (about $5.2 million annually) and May ($5.1 million) have room to climb before hitting the level of Hurley ($7.7 million) or industry leader Bill Self of Kansas ($8.8 million).
However, Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois and Michigan AD Warde Manuel have been public about their willingness to rework contracts.
Manuel, whose department is in the middle of an independent review of its practices following a series of mostly football scandals, would seem particularly averse to seeing a bright, popular young coach leave on his watch.
Looming over everything is the opening of the portal just minutes after the conclusion of Monday’s national title game. Not only does Carolina need a coach ASAP but if one of the coaches mentioned were to leave, their old spot would have to scramble. The calendar is chaotic.
So here come the whispers and speculation and news conference questions — a Carolina blue backdrop to the Final Four.
Islamabad: The Pakistan Tennis Federation has announced the selection of the national Davis Cup Juniors team for the upcoming international competition in Kazakhstan.
The Davis Cup Juniors event is scheduled to take place in Shymkent from May 16th to 24th, 2026.
Trials to finalize the squad were held at the PTF Tennis Complex in Islamabad from March 30th to April 2nd. A total of twelve players participated in the selection process, shortlisted based on their recent performances and national rankings.
Notably, Abubakar Talha was granted direct selection and exempted from trials in recognition of his outstanding recent performance.
Following the trials, the selected squad includes: Abubakar Talha, Hassan Usmani, and Zohaib Afzal Malik.
President of the Pakistan Tennis Federation, Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, along with Secretary General Col. Zia-ud-din Tufail and other officials, congratulated the selected players and extended their best wishes for success in the tournament.
The federation expressed confidence that the young team will represent Pakistan with determination and excellence on the international stage.
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St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn was involved in a terrifying car crash on Wednesday night hours after he delivered a walk-off hit against the New York Mets.
Winn’s vehicle appeared to slip on “wet pavement” as he was driving on Interstate 64, the team said in a statement, via FOX 2 Now. He was the only person involved in the crash.
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St. Louis Cardinal teammates surround Masyn Winn after he hit the game winning hit during the eleventh inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/LG Patterson)
“We are grateful that he is OK, and thank the first responders in our community who helped Masyn tonight,” the Cardinals said.
The Cardinals added that he was the only person in the vehicle when the crash occurred and was helped by police, team security and medical staff. He was taken to a hospital and did not suffer any injuries.
The scary moment came after he helped the Cardinals to a win over the Mets in the 11th inning. Winn singled home the game-winning run as St. Louis picked up the 2-1 win.
St. Louis Cardnial’s Masyn Winn tosses his bat after striking out during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/LG Patterson)
“It wasn’t the best swing,” Winn said after the game, via MLB.com. “But I was just trying to get to first base, just in case.”
The Gold Glover was 1-for-4 in the game. He’s batting .160 with four hits and two runs scored through six games this season.
St. Louis tied the game in the sixth inning thanks to a Nolan Gorman RBI. Then, Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo was able to keep the Mets at bay as he pitched out of a jam in the top of the 11th inning.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Masyn Winn throws out a runner during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/LG Patterson)
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New York got their lone run from a Juan Soto home run after Francisco Lindor was picked off at first base.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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