ECB mulls bringing back player curfew after Ashes fiasco

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) England may bring back a player curfew ahead of their upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka and India after concerns grew over the team’s off-field behaviour during the recently concluded Ashes series in Australia.

The Ashes, which England lost 4–1, was disappointing not just because of the results but also because of what players were seen doing away from cricket.

After the second Test, when England were already 2–0 down, the squad spent time in Noosa where, as per multiple reports, there were six straight days of heavy drinking.

Videos later appeared on social media, including one showing opener Ben Duckett looking confused outside a resort.

There were further reports of players drinking heavily in Perth after the two-day series opener there, with several squad members seen at Crown Casino. These incidents added to existing concerns about discipline, especially after details emerged about an earlier nightclub incident involving Harry Brook in New Zealand.

Brook, who is England’s white-ball captain and Test vice-captain, was refused entry to a nightclub the night before a one-day international in November and was then involved in an argument with a bouncer.

He was fined £30,000 and later apologised. News of the incident became public shortly after England’s Ashes defeat was confirmed.

With a long tour of Sri Lanka and India coming up, including the T20 World Cup, which Brook will captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board has started reviewing what went wrong during the Ashes. As part of that review, bringing back a curfew for players is being considered, The West Australian reported.

England have used curfews before. A midnight curfew was introduced for the 2017–18 Ashes tour after a number of off-field controversies involving players. That rule was later dropped when Ben Stokes became Test captain in 2022, fitting with head coach Brendan McCullum’s more relaxed style.

For now, England must decide whether to tighten discipline or stick with their current approach as they prepare for a crucial period of international cricket.