Ben Duckett has been made the scapegoat of an English cricket board desperate to stamp out drunken behaviour, but he reportedly wasn't the only player pouring drinks on the head of colleagues at a Perth club.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has made it clear Duckett's career is at the crossroads in a "final written warning in respect of his conduct as an England player".
Duckett has also been fined the maximum amount for an England A player (approximately $2700) and he will sit out that squad's remaining fixtures on their Australian tour.
Duckett's punishment for tipping a drink on Jimmy Anderson has been widely criticised by several past players and pundits. The chorus of criticism is likely to grow louder after UK newspaper The Times reported other players were also misbehaving in exactly the same fashion during the same boozy night out.
The ECB investigated the alcohol-fuelled antics that came the first night after director of cricket Andrew Strauss agreed to a temporary relaxing of a midnight curfew, which was imposed two weeks ago as a result of the revelation that Jonny Bairstow headbutted Cameron Bancroft.
The third Ashes Test starts on Thursday, with England to relinquish the urn if they lose the WACA clash. Tim Paine has already confirmed his side is likely to sledge the visitors about the Duckett saga.
Duckett, who has played four Tests and was convicted of drink-driving in 2015, will stay in Perth to run drinks for England A until their Australian trip ends on Sunday.
Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett and Jake Ball have also been pulled up by the ECB for their booze-related lack of professionalism in recent months.
But at this stage, none of their punishments has been as severe as that dished out to Duckett.
The ECB won't settle on a sanction for Stokes until UK prosecutors announce whether they will charge the vice-captain over his part in a Bristol brawl.
Bairstow was fined for "professional misconduct" when he and other players were drinking in Bristol the night of Stokes' stoush, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing after it emerged he headbutted Bancroft during England's first night on tour in Australia.
"If people aren't behaving well, people say you've got a bad culture ... TB (England coach Trevor Bayliss) is a pretty relaxed sort of customer and I'm sure he's got it under control," Justin Langer said, having achieved dramatic improvements in WA's off-field culture in his time as coach.
An incredulous Bayliss is seething about the sideshow that former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has branded a "f***ing embarrassment".
"We might have to review who is in the team. Blokes can't keep making the same mistake. Some guys have got to pull their heads in," Bayliss said.
Moeen Ali also expressed his disappointment on the weekend.
"We're all grown men and we should know how to behave," Moeen said.
"Off-field behaviour needs to improve and we all know that."
Share
