England great Joe Root has come out strongly in support of white-ball captain Harry Brook after the latter’s animated “Beer Smash” celebration following his century in the third ODI against Sri Lanka drew widespread attention and debate, reported Fox Cricket.
“I think you can work it out if you watch wrestling,” Root told Fox Cricket after the match. “I think his way of showing that he wants that approval of the group is through humour.”I think that’s another area of why he’s going to be a great leader because he has that side to him as well. Hopefully it’s received in the right way because there’s no malice behind it other than him trying to have a bit of a joke with his teammates.”
According to reports from Fox Cricket, Brook was fined £30,000 following a nightclub altercation in New Zealand last October. His celebration was interpreted by some as a pointed reference to those incidents and recent claims of a drinking culture within England’s camp during tours of New Zealand and Australia.
During the Ashes 2025-26 series in Australia, the English batter Ben Duckett faced backlash from fans and investigation from his own board, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his video in which he looked allegedly drunk, struggling to find his way to the team hotel.
After that ECB addressed the controversy in a statement, saying: “We are aware of content circulating on social media. We have high expectations for behaviour, accepting that players are often under intense levels of scrutiny, with established processes that we follow when conduct falls below expectations. We also support players that need assistance. We will not comment further at this stage while we establish the facts.”On the field, Brook’s knock proved decisive as England clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 with a commanding 53-run win. His innings featured nine sixes and 11 fours and earned him the Player of the Match award.
England and Sri Lanka will now shift focus to the three-match T20I series, which begins on Friday.