LONDON : England captain Joe Root said there would be no team curfew during next week’s three-test series against Pakistan, arguing that players should be trusted to make responsible decisions off the field.
Root, 35, returned to the captaincy after Ben Stokes retired from test cricket in June, with England’s team culture having come under scrutiny following a series of off-field incidents.
“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.”
Root said the team would manage its standards collectively under new head coach Stephen Fleming.
“That’s something we, as a team, have to manage properly and police ourselves, alongside Stephen Fleming,” he added.
England’s approach follows an incident during their test series against New Zealand in which Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson were suspended for breaching a team curfew after a night out in London.
Former coach Brendon McCullum stepped down after England lost the series 2-1, with Fleming appointed as his successor.
The team’s culture had already faced scrutiny following last year’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia and an incident involving batter Harry Brook and a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand.
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould said in January that players would face stricter measures, including a midnight curfew.
Root, England’s leading test run-scorer, will begin his second spell as captain alongside Fleming when the three-test series against Pakistan starts on Aug. 19.
England are currently seventh in the World Test Championship standings.
