Brook looks to move on from horrific NZ row; Rashid hopes to play in Kabul

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.”

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.

Meanwhile, Hard-hitting batsman Phil Salt was passed fit as England named their team Saturday for their first match in the T20 World Cup.

He will open the batting alongside wicketkeeper Jos Buttler against Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday in Group C.

Salt missed Tuesday’s third T20 against Sri Lanka with a back spasm but trained successfully on Friday and will take his place at the top of the order.

Tom Banton, fresh from a sparkling 54 off 33 balls against Sri Lanka five days ago, is preferred to Ben Duckett and will bat at number four.

Left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood gets the nod ahead of Jamie Overton and joins express man Jofra Archer and Sam Curran in the seam attack.

England have opted to have four spinners at their disposal with spearheads Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson backed up by all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan said Saturday he dreams of playing an international match at home in Kabul, which for him would be “bigger than the World Cup”.

Khan will captain the surprise 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finalists against New Zealand in their opening match of the 2026 edition in Chennai on Sunday.

But he said the ultimate prize for him would be to lead out Afghanistan one day in the capital Kabul in front of their home fans.

“Yes, that’s bigger than the World Cup to be honest, for me and for the team,” Khan told reporters.

“Then all the media, all these people will see how people back home in Afghanistan are.

“How they are welcoming international players and how they are enjoying cricket.”

The war-ravaged nation has never hosted an international match, instead having to play their nominally home fixtures at adopted grounds in India and the UAE.

“It’s something which is more than a dream to be playing international cricket in your own country,” said Khan.

“When you play in your own country, it’s a kind of different feeling and the world will see the country Afghanistan as well, how beautiful it is.”

Afghanistan beat New Zealand, West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh on their way to the semi-finals two years ago.

But this time they are in a tricky-looking Group D where they will also have to face South Africa, Canada and the UAE, with only the top two progressing to the Super Eights.

Agencies