Alcohol seems to play a big part in sport - particularly cricket. It's a way to celebrate a win. Unfortunately, some take it past the locker room and will drink when not on duty.
This seems to be the case with the national English team. There have been several instances of drinking episodes that have gone completely wrong. It has come to a head with a alcohol ban.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has introduced stricter alcohol and behaviour guidelines for the England men's cricket team following a series of off-field incidents. The revised policy includes tighter restrictions on alcohol consumption, reinforces the team's midnight curfew and aims to improve discipline and professionalism.
The changes come in the wake of the Ben Stokes-Gus Atkinson nightclub controversy, which prompted a review of the team's code of conduct.
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Under the updated guidelines, players have been advised not to consume alcohol on the day before or the day after matches; with the measures applying to both home series and overseas tours.
The new policy follows a review of team conduct after recent off-field incidents and aims to promote greater discipline within the squad. As per reports, the revised guidelines also make it clear that the existing midnight curfew will remain in force throughout every day of an international series. This provides a more consistent framework for player behaviour.
The new policy says in a first section that on every day of an England men’s home series and tour:
- The midnight curfew is in place.
- Players cannot appear under the influence of alcohol in public, or post on social media about any "alcohol-related material or activities."
- Players must inform the team management or security if they are out of the hotel after 10pm, including changes of plan.
The new policy continues in a second section: "In addition, from the day before the start of any match until the end of the day after that match has finished":
- "We recommend that no alcohol be consumed."
- Players cannot drink at all in public, including public areas of the team hotel, unless "specifically approved by Key or head coach Brendon McCullum."
- Players are "strongly discouraged" from consuming alcohol in private in this period because "preparation, recovery and professionalism must take priority."
The ECB confirmed that if a match ends on day five, the above rules and recommendation apply until the end of what would be day six.
The document, which is signed by Key, says its aim is to "protect the players, the reputation both of cricket in England and Wales and the ECB, and to optimise player performance."
It has also tightened up its wording of some issues. Recommending that players should not consume alcohol even after matches have concluded is a significant change for English cricket; with a post-Test drink a common occurrence. The recommendation in the first edition of the policy only covered up to the end of a match.
There are other tweaks as the ECB looks to tighten up the policy. In section one, the words "on every day of an England men’s series/tour" have become "on every day of the duration of an England men’s home series and tour."
It appears to be in the management’s gift to tweak the policy as they see fit during a series. When England had a curfew between 2017 and 2022, it would regularly be lifted after a Test victory so players could let down their hair. ]
After the Trent Bridge Test and Stokes’s retirement, England’s official social media account posted a picture of the captain holding a bottle of beer, suggesting that players were welcome to drink at that point.
The recommendations apply only to players, rather than staff.
If players do choose to drink in the period before, during or after matches, it shouldn't be in public. They have also been strongly discouraged from drinking in private, in order to aid preparation, recovery and professionalism.
The guidelines apply only to the England senior men's teams. All other England teams - the women, Lions and age-group teams - have their own rules. England women don't have formal rules on alcohol.
Regarding the curfew, there are periods when players would naturally leave the England camp, either because there is a long gap between matches or they have been released to their counties.
It has been confirmed the curfew still applies in these circumstances, subject to the discretion of the management.
I'm not buying any of this. It seems to me that under Rob Key and Brendon McCullum, there are rules but they are very loose and relaxed. I feel like the players will continue to behave they usually do.
I can picture them either rolling their eyes and/or waving it of at the sight of the new regulations.