Adelaide, December 23, 2025: England team director Rob Key said on Tuesday that the team management would investigate media reports alleging excessive drinking by players during a break between the second and third Ashes Tests earlier this month.
Australia sealed an 82-run victory on the fifth day of the third Test in Adelaide on Sunday, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series and retaining the Ashes urn. Following heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane, the England squad took a short break in Noosa, where British and Australian media reports claimed that players had been drinking heavily throughout their stay.
Speaking to the BBC, Key acknowledged that some reports could be misleading but made it clear that any behaviour crossing acceptable limits would not be tolerated. “Headlines can be misleading at times, saying it’s a stag do and stuff like that. Stories of players drinking six days solid — that’s unacceptable,” he said. “We’ll be looking into what the facts are as opposed to things that have been embellished or elaborated on.”
Key stressed that isolated images circulating on social media did not necessarily reflect the full situation. “When you see a picture of five or six guys sitting down for lunch, a couple of them having drinks, you need to understand what’s really going on,” he said. However, he added that if reports of sustained excessive drinking were accurate, it would be a serious concern. “If it’s true that it became a stag do and people were out drinking all the time excessively, that’s not acceptable. I don’t agree with a drinking culture,” he said.
Prior to the Ashes series, Key had already urged England’s players to remain disciplined and avoid “doing stupid things” off the field. The latest controversy comes amid mounting pressure on the touring side after three consecutive defeats handed Australia an insurmountable lead in the series.
Meanwhile, Australia coach Andrew McDonald said he expected his players to remain fully focused despite celebrations following their series-clinching win. “There’s no instructions from me around that — they’re all adults,” McDonald told reporters on Tuesday. “They know how they need to get ready for a Test match, and they’ll be ready to go come Boxing Day morning. I don’t think there’ll be any hangover.”
The fourth Test of the Ashes series is scheduled to begin on Friday in Melbourne, where England will be aiming to restore pride and halt Australia’s dominant run.
