The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is considering tough disciplinary action after the team’s disappointing outings during the Ashes 2025-26 series. According to a report in The Times, the ECB is now discussing the idea of introducing a player curfew during the Sri Lanka tour and the T20 World Cup.
The ECB has begun an internal review after the Ashes defeat, with concerns about team culture ahead of a seven-week tour of the subcontinent. There were reports of heavy drinking in Noosa midway through the series, along with Harry Brook being involved in an altercation with a bouncer in New Zealand.
ECB Considers Curfew as England’s Off-Field Troubles Continue
The ECB is moving to tighten discipline after reviewing concerns around team culture. According to The Times, the board has already started making changes ahead of England’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
“According to a source, changes are already being put in place in relation to the team ‘culture’ for the white-ball series against Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup that follows in Sri Lanka and India,” The Times reported.
England lost the Ashes inside 11 days. Reports later revealed that between the second and third Tests in Brisbane, members of the touring squad spent up to six days drinking, with the episode compared to a “stag do.” The ECB is now considering stricter measures to keep better control of the team environment.
England’s Off-Field Incidents Put Team Culture Under Spotlight
England’s off-field issues continued to draw attention during and after the Ashes. Ben Duckett was seen in a viral video from Noosa, where he appeared heavily drunk, adding to concerns about player behavior on tour.
After the Ashes ended, The Telegraph reported another incident involving Harry Brook. The England white-ball captain was involved in a heated argument with a bouncer after being denied entry to a nightclub in New Zealand. He was later fined £30,000 (AU$60,000) for the incident.
The idea of introducing a player curfew is not new for England. A similar rule was enforced during the 2017-18 Ashes after a clash involving Jonny Bairstow and Cameron Bancroft, along with Ben Stokes’s nightclub brawl in Bristol.
Stokes later removed the curfew in 2022 after taking over as captain, alongside the appointment of Brendon McCullum as head coach. Pressure is now mounting on England’s Test setup, with calls growing louder for major changes.
England Gear Up for Sri Lanka Tour Ahead of T20 World Cup Campaign
England will next tour Sri Lanka for a white-ball series. The team will play three ODIs and three T20Is between January 22 and February 3, with the squad set to depart on January 18. Notably, the ODI series will begin on January 22, followed by the T20Is from January 30.
After the Sri Lanka tour, England will shift focus to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. They are placed in Group C alongside Bangladesh, West Indies, Nepal, and Italy. The two-time champions will open their campaign on February 8 against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium.
England will look to improve on their previous outing after being knocked out in the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they lost to India by 68 runs in Guyana.
