England have taken some measures ahead of the two white-ball series in Sri Lanka and the ICC T20 World Cup. These measures include a 12 midnight curfew for players, who have had multiple incidents of alcohol abuse and indiscipline over the past few months and series.
England cricket has been struggling with its recent form in all series. They lost the New Zealand ODI series by a 3–0 margin before the Ashes, and were then lucky to escape an Ashes whitewash, as they lost to the Australians 4–1.
Following the Three Lions’ dreadful form in Oceania, the ECB reviewed their performance and found significant complaints over the indiscipline of their cricketers, who have been accused of serious drinking, and incidents which make the claims unsustainable.
Midnight curfew for England players before T20 World Cup
According to the latest reports from DailyMail, England cricketers will be subjected to a midnight curfew for the rest of the winter due to lack of discipline during the Ashes and the New Zealand tour that preceded it.
England will head to the subcontinent for two white-ball series against Sri Lanka and take part in the next ICC T20 World Cup in India. Although no notification has been issued to English cricketers, Harry Brook’s team will be reminded of their responsibilities as international cricketers to represent their country on the global stage.
Hence, reports claim that he will be issued an ultimatum to return to the team hotel complex before 12 midnight, 12 o’clock on the tour with the national team. This decision was considered after several incidents of drinking alcohol came to light in the last few months.
Ashes defeat and New Zealand’s elimination prompt rethink of player freedom
The 3–0 ODI whitewash against New Zealand and the 4–1 loss to Australia revealed several incidents of drinking. During the Ashes, the infamous Noosa incidents made headlines as footage went viral where England cricketer Ben Duckett was seen in an inebriated condition.
Young Jacob Bethell, who scored his first century for Australia at the SCG, was also seen at a nightclub with Ben Duckett. There were also reports of excessive alcohol consumption when England players stayed at a casino complex hotel in Perth.
Before the final game against New Zealand, Harry Brook was fined a whopping 30,000 Euros after he was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer just hours before the Kiwis’ defeat in the third and final ODI.
Such incidents have prompted the English management to reconsider bringing back the curfew, which was once introduced by former cricket director Andrew Strauss. However, this was scrapped after the appointment of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
England begin coaching shake-up with an eye on T20 World Cup victory
While the adults’ treatment backfired, England lost their discipline as they attempted to win a fourth global title against all odds in March. England pointed to the lack of a fielding coach after missing several chances during the Ashes.
Now, Carl Hopkinson has been appointed as the fielding coach for the ICC T20 World Cup and he will take over the role from the T20I phase of the Sri Lanka series. Along with the fielding coach, England will also make another change in its coaching staff during the Sri Lanka tour.
David Secker will hand over the responsibility of bowling coach to Tim Southee in the middle of the Sri Lanka series, while Richard Dawson and Jeetan Patel will remain with the team.
Also read: Shubman Gill passes cruel verdict on Rohit Sharma after horror performance in New Zealand ODI
