England reappointed Test captain Joe Root has scrapped the midnight curfew imposed on the Three Lions under former captain Ben Stokes ahead of the three-match Test series against Pakistan.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Root dismissed the need for a curfew, urging the players to take responsibility on and off the field.
“There’s not going to be a curfew. I don’t think this needs to be a big deal, to be honest,” he said.
“My view on curfews is that I don’t think they work and if you want guys to take responsibility on the field, they’ve got to feel like they can be grown adults off it and make good, strong decisions off it,” he added.
He said it was for them to manage and look after themselves without someone else enforcing the rules.
“And that’s for us as a team to manage well, and self-police well, for me and Flem [Stephen Fleming[to manage well in many ways,” he continued.
Root told each player to be mature in a bid to avoid difficult situations off the field, noting that they were grown adults who knew what it took to play for England.
“Ultimately, you’re grown adults, you know what it takes to play for England, you know what your responsibilities are off the field and we need to make sure we don’t find ourselves with any of those situations, off the field, to manage.”
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“We should be known for how we play our cricket and what we do on the field. We should be on the back page of the papers, and people reading about that sort of stuff. So, that’s as much as I’ve got to say on it,” the right-handed batter explained.
“Let’s be adults. Look after yourselves, look after each other, create a good, strong culture where you know the right time is to celebrate and enjoy a win, or to have a sensible beer or whatever. And remember you’re playing for England,” he insisted.
Root said they were looking to set team standards and culture, ensuring all players had a clear understanding of expectations when they play together in the upcoming series.
“We have a Test captain and coach, who are looking at how they set team standards and culture,” he said.
“As part of this, the curfew will no longer be in place. We will ensure all players have a clear understanding of expectations when they come together for the upcoming Test series,” Root concluded.