• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Englands Ashes Disaster Gets Messier As Ecb To Probe Drinking Claims After Noosa Break

England's Ashes disaster gets messier as ECB to probe drinking claims after Noosa break

Akshita Patel

England's Noosa party under scanner [Source: @theTiser, @sophieelsworth/X.com]England's Noosa party under scanner [Source: @theTiser, @sophieelsworth/X.com]

England’s disastrous Ashes tour has taken another uncomfortable turn. Just days after losing the series in record time, the ECB will investigate reports of excessive drinking by players during a break in Queensland.

According to a report from the BBC, some England players allegedly drank for six consecutive days following the second Test defeat in Brisbane, splitting their time between Brisbane and the coastal town of Noosa. 

The timing could not have been worse. England arrived at the Adelaide Test undercooked, lost again, and handed Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Rob Key confirms England’s booze party to be investigated

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Rob Key has now broken his silence. While defending the idea of a mid-series break, Key made it clear that heavy drinking would cross a line.

“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. I’m not a drinker. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something that I’d expect to see at any stage," Key told the media.

Key stressed that England’s players are under extreme physical and mental strain, especially those playing across formats. 

He argued that short breaks are necessary to avoid burnout, insisting the Noosa trip was meant to help players reset, switch off their phones, and recover.

"We’ve added security. We’ve got enough ways of finding out exactly what happened. And everything that I’ve heard so far is that they sat down, had lunch, had dinner and didn’t go out late and had the odd drink. I don’t mind that," he added.

But the optics are damaging. As per the BBC report, players drank publicly, some wearing traditional Akubra hats.

It further suggested that England spent as many days drinking as they had played Test cricket on the tour at that stage.

Rob Key, meanwhile, attempted to downplay the claims, saying everything he had heard suggested players had meals together, did not stay out late, and only had the odd drink. 

“Harry Brook is going to spend six days at home this entire winter. Jofra Archer will go through to the World Cup and the Indian Premier League. So I think it’s so important that these players, especially multi-format players, can get away and live a normal life."

Still, he admitted security had been increased and that the board had ways of finding out exactly what happened.

"[But] if it goes into where they’re drinking lots and it’s a stag do, that’s completely unacceptable. I think a drinking culture doesn’t help anyone in any stretch whatsoever. [But] I have no issue with Noosa if it was to get away and just throw your phone away, down tools, go on the beach, all of that stuff.”

When Bethell and Brook were sent back for drinking issues

This is not England’s first off-field issue on a particular tour. Earlier, Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell were sent home after being spotted drinking in New Zealand on the eve of an ODI. 

Combined with the Ashes collapse, the pattern is hard to ignore. The bigger question now is cultural, and how England will come out of this devastating setback.