England captain Joe Root said there would be no team curfew during next week’s home Test series against Pakistan, backing players to act responsibly despite recent off-field incidents that have put the team’s culture under scrutiny.
The 35-year-old’s remarks come amid the intense scrutiny surrounding England’s dressing room culture over the past year under former coach Brendon McCullum and former captain Ben Stokes.
Root, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, returned to the captaincy following Stokes’ retirement in June amid the Test series against New Zealand, during which the all-rounder was suspended for a Test along with pacer Gus Atkinson for breaching a team curfew during a night out in London.
McCullum, too, stepped down following England’s 2-1 series loss, and was replaced by former teammate Stephen Fleming.
“There’s not going to be a curfew. I don’t think this needs to be a big deal, to be honest,” Root said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast published on Wednesday.
“My view is that if players are expected to take responsibility on the field, they should be trusted as grown adults to make good decisions off it as well.”
“That’s something we, as a team, have to manage properly and police ourselves, alongside Stephen Fleming,” he added.
England’s team culture has been under scrutiny since last year’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia and a string of off-field incidents. Among them was an altercation involving Harry Brook and a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand.
ECB chief executive Richard Gould said in January that players would be subject to stricter measures, including a midnight curfew.
England are seventh in the World Test Championship standings. Root and Fleming will begin their tenure in the three-Test series against Pakistan, which starts on August 19.