England’s newly appointed Test captain Joe Root has said that there will be no curfew during his time as England Test captain, stating that he wants his players to take responsibility for their actions rather than be governed by strict restrictions as well.
However, the ECB had introduced new guidelines in July in the aftermath of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson’s nightclub incident, including a midnight curfew, a requirement for players to inform management if they were out of the hotel after 10 pm, and a stipulation that players should not come in public under the influence of alcohol.
“There’s not going to be a curfew. I don’t think this needs to be a big deal, to be honest,” Joe Root said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “My view on the curfew is that the players are doing their work, and if you want guys to take responsibility on the field, they’ve got to feel like they can be grown adults and make good, strong decisions off it.”
READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli
“That’s for us as a team to manage well, and police well for me and Stephen Fleming. We should be known for how we play cricket and what we do on the field. We should be on the back page of papers. Be adults, look after yourselves, look after each other… create a good, strong culture where you know when the right time is to celebrate and enjoy a win or to have a sensible beer, but remember you’ve got to play for England,” he again shared.
Joe Root is taking over from Ben Stokes, who recently retired from Test cricket, and his approach is similar to the former England head coach Brendon McCullum’s thoughts of allowing players to enjoy their cricket without “killing the joy” as well. Root also said players should be able to celebrate a Test victory with a beer, but they need to be conscious of their responsibilities and the demands of playing for England as well.
“I don’t want people to feel like they can’t enjoy winning a Test match because they want to have a beer or at the right time let their hair down and then that’s absolutely fine. We’re human beings at the end of the day. You know what your responsibilities are, you know how you need to prepare for a Test match and what it takes, and the effects that these things can have on you. So be smart, be sensible, and just be an adult,” he again shared.
Meanwhile, the ECB also confirmed that the curfew will no longer be in place under the new Test leadership structure under Joe Root and newly appointed head coach Stephen Fleming.
“We have a Test captain and coach, who are looking at how they set team standards and culture,” the release stated. “As part of this, the curfew will no longer be in place. We will ensure all players have a clear understanding of expectations when they come together for the upcoming Test series.”
