England’s Ashes tour continues to get worse, this time away from the field. England Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Key has promised to investigate reports surrounding the team’s mid-series break in Noosa, after suggestions emerged that the trip resembled a “stag do” rather than a recovery camp.
England’s trip to Noosa after Gabba defeat
England travelled to the Queensland resort town following their eight-wicket defeat in the second Test at the Gabba. The four-night stay was described by the team as a “mid-series break”, with head coach Brendon McCullum calling it “excellent” preparation ahead of the Adelaide Test. England, however, went on to lose that match as well, surrendering the Ashes inside just 11 days of play.
Key, who did not travel with the squad to Noosa, said he had initially been told that players were well behaved. But speaking at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday, he admitted the recent reports had forced him to take a closer look.
“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, and it would be a fault not to look into what happened there. But from everything that I’ve heard so far, they were very well behaved.
“I’ve read what’s been written in the last day or so, and if it goes into where they’re drinking lots and it’s a stag do, all that type of stuff, that’s completely unacceptable. I’m not a drinker. I think a drinking culture doesn’t help anyone in any stretch whatsoever.
“I have no issue with the Noosa trip if it was to get away and just throw your phone away, down tools, go on the beach… Everything that I’ve heard so far is that 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 as far as I’m concerned… There’s lots of people there that might disagree with that, but that’s what we’ll find out.”
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