England have launched an investigation into claims that their four-day trip to the holiday resort of Noosa between the second and third Ashes Tests turned into a beer-drinking stag-do.
Managing director Rob Key insisted the players were on their best behaviour during the trip up Queensland‘s Sunshine Coast, but said the reports of heavy boozing would be looked into, and admitted: ‘Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something I’d expect to see at any stage.’
He added: ‘If they’re drinking lots and it’s a stag-do, all that type of stuff, that’s completely unacceptable.
‘I’m not a drinker, and 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.
‘We’ve added security, and we’ve got enough ways of finding out exactly what happened.
Ben Stokes (left) and teammate Matthew Potts are pictured during the team’s break in Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, which is now the subject of an investigation by the team
The Lions stars relaxed at the famous Aussie tourist destination (pictured) after losing the second Test in Brisbane
England managing director Rob Key said it would be ‘completely unacceptable’ if team members are found to have been drinking to excess, adding, ‘We’ve got enough ways of finding out exactly what happened’
‘Everything 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.’
With the fourth Test starting in Melbourne on Boxing Day, and England fighting to avoid a third 5–0 whitewash in six trips to Australia, the Noosa trip is an unwanted distraction, with the headlines sure to have raised eyebrows among ECB officials back at Lord’s.
And Key admitted the players had already been spoken to this winter after an Instagram post revealed several of them – including Jacob Bethell and Gus Atkinson – out drinking the night before the third ODI against New Zealand at Wellington in early November.
‘I think that was a bit of a wake-up call, actually, for what they were going into,’ said Key.
‘I don’t mind players having a glass of wine over dinner. Anything more than that I think is ridiculous, really.
‘We’ve had four years where we’ve had none of these issues with any of the players.
‘I didn’t feel like that was worthy of formal warnings, but it was probably worthy of informal ones.’