England’s Rob Key vows to investigate players’ drinking on a mid-Ashes break in Noosa, calling excessive alcohol ‘completely unacceptable’
ENGLAND cricket managing director Rob Key has pledged to investigate reports of excessive player drinking during a mid-Ashes beach break.
The probe follows British media claims that some players’ behaviour in the Queensland tourist town of Noosa resembled a “stag-do”.
England visited Noosa after heavy defeats in the first two Ashes Tests in Perth and Brisbane.
The team spent several days there before travelling to Adelaide, where they lost the third Test and the series.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days”.
Key told English media in Melbourne that he would look into any allegations of excessive alcohol consumption.
“Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something that I’d expect to see at any stage,” he said.
He added that it “would be a fault not to look into what happened there,” but noted initial reports suggested the players were “very well behaved”.
Key stated he had no issue with the trip itself if it was for relaxation.
“If it goes into where they’re drinking lots and it’s a stag-do, all of that type of stuff, that’s completely unacceptable,” he emphasised.
The managing director also revealed he had previously investigated reports of players drinking before a match in New Zealand.
“I didn’t feel like that was worthy of formal warnings, but it was probably worthy of informal ones,” Key said.
He backed head coach Brendon McCullum despite England’s rapid Ashes defeat, which was sealed inside 11 playing days.
Key acknowledged the team had underperformed in major series, including the last home Ashes and a series against India.
“The big ones have eluded us … we have to evolve. We have to make sure that we’re doing things better,” he concluded.