London [UK], December 24 (ANI): The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is investigating for verification of a video appearing to show England opener Ben Duckett drunk and struggling to find his way back to the team hotel during the team’s break to Noosa following a thumping loss in the second Test at Brisbane.
The video emerged on X, on Tuesday, hours after the team’s managing director, Rob Key confirmed that an investigation would be done into the trip to Noosa, which came between the second and third Tests.
ECB had stressed that the four days spent at Noosa were not a holiday and were organised well in advance by head coach Brendon McCullum for refreshing the players. A number of players took a time off and had no training for the time frame of the trip, as per ESPNCricinfo.
Key, England’s managing director, did not accompany the team to Noosa and initially believed that the players had conducted themselves properly. However, after England went on to lose the Adelaide Test by 82 runs, reports emerged comparing the trip to a stag do.
Speaking at the MCG on Tuesday, Key said he would examine what actually happened during the break and decide whether any action was needed.
“If there are things where people are saying that our players went out and drank excessively then of course we’ll be looking into that,” Key said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
“Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something that I would expect to see at any stage, and it would be a fault not to look into what happened there. But from everything that I have heard so far, they were very well behaved,” he noted.
“I have read what’s been written in the last day or so, and if it goes into where they are drinking lots and it is a stag do, all that type of stuff, that’s completely unacceptable. I am not a drinker. I think a drinking culture does not help anyone in any stretch whatsoever,” he added.
“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… Everything that I’ve heard so far is that they sat down, had lunch, had dinner, did not go out late, had the odd drink. I do not mind that. If it goes past that, then that’s an issue as far as I am concerned… There are lots of people there that might disagree with that, but that’s what we will find out,” he concluded.
While England put on a brilliant fight in pursuit of 435 runs at Adelaide, they were skittled out for 352, and their wait for an Ashes series win in Australia for the first time since 2010/11 continued.
A statement from the ECB read: “We are aware of content circulating on social media.
“We have high expectations for behaviour, accepting that players are often under intense levels of scrutiny, with established processes that we follow when conduct falls below expectations. We also support players that need assistance.
“We will not comment further at this stage while we establish the facts,” the statement concluded.
While he has been one of England’s more consistent Test batters, Duckett has endured a lean tour of Australia, with just 97 runs in six innings at an average of 16.16, with his best score of 29, with even Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc outscoring him.
The 31-year-old had also been part of a tour to Australia eight years ago, when he was in the England Lions squad. Duckett was sent home and handed a fine and a suspension by the ECB for pouring a drink over veteran James Anderson at a bar in Perth. (ANI)
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