England men’s cricketers have been told to avoid drinking alcohol on the day before, during and the day after matches under new behaviour guidelines introduced by the team management.
The updated rules come after several off-field incidents, including the nightclub controversy involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, which highlighted confusion over the team’s existing midnight curfew.
According to the new policy as reported by The Telegraph, the midnight curfew will now apply on every day of an England series, whether at home or on tour.
Players have also been advised not to drink alcohol on the day before a match, during a match or on the day after it ends. For example, if a Test match lasts all five days, players are expected to avoid alcohol until the following day.
However, head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key can relax the rules if they believe it is appropriate. This allows players to celebrate important victories or take part in traditional end-of-series events, such as sharing a drink with the opposition after an Ashes series.
England players were allowed to have drinks after the third Test against New Zealand to mark Ben Stokes’ retirement from international cricket.
The alcohol guidelines apply only to players, not support staff.
If players choose to drink during the restricted period, they have been told not to do so in public. They have also been strongly advised to avoid drinking in private, as it could affect their preparation, recovery and professionalism.
These rules apply only to England’s senior men’s team. England Women, the Lions and age-group teams follow separate guidelines, while the women’s team does not have a formal alcohol policy.
The team has also confirmed that the midnight curfew remains in effect even when players leave the squad during long breaks between matches or return to play for their counties, unless the management decides otherwise.
The curfew was first introduced earlier this year during England’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka and remained in place through the T20 World Cup. It followed a series of off-field incidents, including Harry Brook being punched by a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand and Ben Duckett being filmed appearing drunk during England’s Ashes tour.
Questions over the policy resurfaced after Stokes and Atkinson stayed out at a London nightclub following England’s first Test win over New Zealand at Lord’s. The pair were present when a member of England’s security team was assaulted by a Saracens rugby player.
Stokes and Atkinson were left out of the second Test while an investigation took place. Although both players were cleared of violent conduct, they were found to have breached team rules.
After the incident, McCullum admitted there had been confusion over the curfew and promised to make the guidelines clearer.
Under the revised policy, players must now inform team management or security if they are out of the team hotel after 10 pm. They are also not allowed to appear in public under the influence of alcohol or post alcohol-related content on social media.
