Rob Key has dismissed suggestions that England's trip to Noosa resembled a "stag do" amid reports that an investigation into the trip is underway.
The visitors' four-day trip to Noosa between the second and third Ashes Tests has been nothing short of controversial, with British media reporting that some players were excessively drinking throughout their stay.
Players were not afraid to chat with locals on the beach while in Noosa, although a new video of Ben Duckett has suggested it may have been a rowdier stay than first expected.
READ MORE: McDonald remains coy on bowling group as Lyon undergoes surgery
READ MORE: Collins breaks silence on Australian Open absence
READ MORE: Delly not out of the race for 2028 Boomers spot
England's performance in the series did significantly improve following the Noosa trip, but it was still not enough to prevent Australia from retaining the Ashes in 11 days.
Key, director of cricket for the English national team, confirmed an investigation is underway into "stories of players drinking" for up to six days straight.
Such reports were simply "unacceptable" in the eyes of Key, who was not present in Noosa with the team during the break between the two tests.
"We'll be looking into seeing what the facts are as opposed to the things that have been embellished or elaborated on," Key told BBC Sport.
"Headlines can be misleading at times, saying it's a stag do and stuff like that.
"When you see a picture of five or six guys sitting down for lunch, a couple of them having drinks, you need to see what's going on with that.
"If it's true that it became a stag do and people are out drinking all the time excessively, that's not acceptable.
"I don't agree with a drinking culture. I don't like a drinking culture."
It is not the first time that Duckett has had his behaviour questioned.
In 2017-18, he was dropped from the England Lions squad during their tour of Australia after he poured a drink over teammate James Anderson.
Just last month, white-ball captain Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell were investigated following reports the pair were drinking on the eve of a match against New Zealand.
Key did not feel any "formal warnings" were needed for Brook or Bethell at the time and revealed that he has had no real issues with the playing group over the last four years.
He did concede that while he is not opposed to players having a glass of wine with their dinner, as long as it does not become anything more than that.
Despite the criticism from the public and greats of the game, Key recognised that players are allowed to take a break between matches during the Ashes series.
"Harry Brook is going to only be at home for six days this entire winter," he said.
"We have to create a time where these players can get away from cricket because they're not going to do it by being at home.
"We live in an age as well where it's impossible to avoid cricket. I sit there on my phone and every Instagram thing comes up. I know that players say they shouldn't look at it, but they do.
"You can't escape cricket, especially in an Ashes series and the scrutiny. Getting away and being able to just forget about that and live like a normal person is really important."
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.