Ashes hangover? ECB orders probe into England players’ drinking after beach-break videos surface | Cricket News
England’s managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key has said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will investigate reports of excessive drinking by players during their mid-Ashes break, after videos circulating on social media raised fresh questions about the team’s conduct on tour.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!England have already lost the Ashes after defeats in the first three Tests, allowing Australia to retain the urn in just 11 days of on-field action. Attention has now shifted off the field following the squad’s stay in Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast between the second and third Tests — a long-planned stop intended to help players relax during the gruelling tour.
A video that emerged on Tuesday appeared to show opener Ben Duckett struggling to remember how to return to his hotel while speaking to members of the public. In the clip posted on X, Duckett is asked whether he knows how to get home, to which he appears to reply, “No,” before continuing the conversation in a disoriented manner. Another video showed batter Jacob Bethell dancing in a nightclub, though Bethell has not featured in the Test series so far.The ECB said in a brief statement that it was aware of the content circulating online but would not comment further until the facts were established.Speaking in Melbourne ahead of the fourth Test, Key said he would not tolerate over-indulgence if evidence emerged. “If there’s things where people are saying that our players went out and drank excessively, then of course we’ll be looking into that,” Key said. “Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something that I’d expect to see at any stage.”Key added that initial feedback suggested the players had behaved responsibly. “From everything that I’ve heard so far, they actually were pretty well behaved. Very well behaved. They sat down, had lunch, had dinner, didn’t go out late… had the odd drink. I don’t mind that. If it goes past that, then that’s an issue.”Duckett’s form has dipped sharply during the Ashes, managing a top score of 29 across six innings after arriving in Australia with strong credentials. Key also revealed he had previously looked into reports of players drinking on the eve of a one-day international in New Zealand, calling it a “wake-up call”.“I don’t mind players having a glass of wine over dinner,” Key said. “Anything more than that, I think is ridiculous.”
