Adelaide. After another defeat in the Ashes series against Australia, the England team seems to be in new trouble. After the 82-run defeat in the third Test, not only did the series slip away, but now the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also has to investigate the behavior of the team. It is alleged that captain Ben Stokes and his fellow players consumed excessive alcohol during the break taken between the series.
Before the third Test, the England team took a four-day break and traveled to the Australian holiday resort of Noosa. This decision had already faced criticism from many Australian cricket experts. Now media reports have claimed that during this time some players drank alcohol in large quantities, which has raised questions on team culture and professional discipline.
After these allegations, England’s managing director Rob Key has made it clear that the matter will be investigated. However, he also said that according to initial information the players had behaved well. ESPN Cricinfo quoted Rob Key as saying, ‘If things come to light that our players were going out and drinking excessively, then we will definitely investigate it.
Binge drinking is not acceptable at any level for an international cricket team and it would be a failure on our part if we do not check it. But from what I’ve heard so far, the players were very well behaved.
Rob Key also made it clear that he is not completely against the presence of alcohol in the team culture, but there should be a limit to it. He said, ‘If the matter escalates to such an extent that there is heavy drinking and the atmosphere becomes like a bachelor party, then it is completely unacceptable. I don’t drink alcohol myself and I feel that the culture of drinking under any circumstances does not help anyone.
Rob Key said, ‘If a Noosa trip means staying away from the phone, going to the beach, eating out together and having a drink occasionally, then I have no problem with that, but if it goes beyond that, then it becomes a problem for me.’
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