Captain Ben Stokes says defending England gamers’ welfare is his high concern amid claims of extreme ingesting on a mid-Ashes seashore break.
Stokes was peppered with questions forward of the fourth Take a look at in Melbourne in regards to the crew’s behaviour at Noosa between the second and third Exams after British media reviews in contrast it to a “stag-do”.
Unverified social media footage appeared to point out opener Ben Duckett drunk and disoriented.
Don’t know what occurs to Ben Duckett in Australia. Usually he’s One in all The Nicest Cricketers however in Australia he’s fully reverse. Throughout 2017/18 Ashes he poured a drink over James Anderson’s Head and now this video.He has put his profession on riskpic.twitter.com/KVsCbv73jX
— Aryan Goel (@Aryan42832Goel) December 23, 2025
Their disastrous tour took one other hit on Wednesday when tempo spearhead Jofra Archer was dominated out of the remainder of the collection with a aspect pressure.
MORE: Injured Archer out of Ashes, Pope dropped
England cricket chief Rob Key on Tuesday pledged to research the ingesting claims, whereas the ECB stated in an announcement it was intent on establishing the details.
Stokes, whose crew have already misplaced the Ashes, stated his essential concern was the gamers’ psychological welfare and to make sure they had been prepared for the Melbourne Take a look at beginning Friday.
“I’m clearly conscious of the reviews and all the things circulating round proper now,” Stokes stated. “My essential concern proper now’s my gamers, and the way I deal with this second proper now’s crucial factor to me.
“The welfare of everybody in there, and doubtless some sure people as nicely, is crucial factor to me proper now as England captain.
“It’s by no means a pleasant place to be in when not solely the media world, but additionally the social media world, is piling on high of you.
“It’s a really robust place to be in as a person. As a person, when you realize you’ve obtained the help of the people who find themselves form of leaders, in a way, it’s excellent to know that you simply’ve obtained that help.”
Requested instantly whether or not his teammates had “carried out something improper in Noosa”, Stokes replied: “I’ve simply answered all the things there.”
England went to Queensland vacationer resort Noosa after shedding the primary two Exams in Perth and Brisbane closely.
They spent a number of days on the sand and round eating places and bars earlier than travelling to Adelaide, the place they misplaced the third Take a look at as Australia retained the Ashes.
Britain’s Day by day Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Take a look at, it’s no exaggeration to say some, actually not all, gamers drank for 5 or 6 days”.
It added that gamers “did nothing outrageous in Noosa” however there was concern over the extent of ingesting, with England’s professionalism already below the microscope after their restricted preparations.
Stokes conceded that when a aspect was shedding there could be scrutiny, and “rightly so”.
“When you’re 3-0 down you don’t actually have a leg to face on however we’ve obtained two video games of cricket to play. That’s what we’ve got to give attention to,” he stated. “We haven’t received a recreation in Australia for an extended, very long time.”
England have gone 18 Exams since successful a match in Australia, relationship again to their final collection victory there in 2010-11.
Their capitulation on this collection in 11 days of play is the joint second quickest in additional than a century, for the reason that 1921 Ashes was accomplished in eight days.
Making issues worse, Archer will take no additional half within the tour, with Gus Atkinson changing him in Melbourne.
The under-performing Ollie Pope paid for his poor type at No 3, with Jacob Bethell taking on in the one different change.
– AFP
