Root’s return to the role he relinquished in 2022 is proof of such, taking over after Ben Stokes retired from all international cricket at the end of the New Zealand series earlier this summer. Stokes’ departure was triggered somewhat by a breaking of team protocols after the first Test at Lord’s. Both Stokes and Gus Atkinson were out beyond midnight after England’s win, ending up at a Chelsea nightclub where Atkinson was attacked by a Saracens Academy rugby player.
Stokes and Atkinson were effectively banned from selection for the second Test, but confusion reigned as to the veracity of the curfew. Atkinson informed managing director Rob Key he was unaware it was in effect after that first Test, leading Key to immediately shore up the measure.
It was initially brought in after an unprofessional winter, triggered ultimately by Test vice-captain and white-ball skipper Harry Brook being punched by a night club bouncer in Wellington, New Zealand, on the eve of the final match of a white ball tour that preceded the Ashes.
Now, Root has scrapped it altogether. With Stephen Fleming as new Test head coach after Brendon McCullum was stood down, it is the first move in a clear regime change. One Root feels need not be difficult, providing his team-mates act like “grown adults” and acknowledge the responsibilities that come with representing your country.
“There’s not going to be a curfew,” Root confirmed on the Sky Cricket Podcast. “And I don’t think this needs to be a big deal, to be honest.
“My view on curfews is 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 and make good, strong decisions off it.
“And that’s for us as a team to manage well and self-police well for me and Flem to manage well in many ways. But ultimately grown adults – you know what it takes to play for England. You know what your responsibilities are off the field. .
“My view on curfews is 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 and make good, strong decisions off it.”
Joe Root
“We should be known for how we play our cricket and what we do on the field. And we should be on the back page of papers and people reading about that sort of stuff.
“So as much as I’ve got to say on it, that’s be adults, look after yourselves, look after each other. Create a good, strong culture where you know when 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.”
A statement released on Wednesday by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the curfew has been dropped, which will also apply across the white-ball sides under the watch of McCullum and Brook: “We have a Test captain and coach, who are looking at how they set team standards and culture. 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 was actually in place as captain when an official curfew was first introduced by then managing director Andrew Strauss during the 2017-18 Ashes, after Jonny Bairstow was wrongly accused of headbutting Australian opener Cameron Bancroft in a Perth nightclub. The atmosphere around the England team at the time was febrile with Stokes missing from that tour of Australia after his involvement in a Bristol street fight earlier that year, before he subsequently cleared of affray the following summer.
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