England skipper Ben Stokes and his entire team were seen unwinding in Noosa Heads, a coastal town in Queensland, a popular holiday destination, three days after they were thrashed by eight wickets by Australia
in the second Ashes Test, as they went 0-2 down in the five-match series.
England were thrashed inside two days in the Perth opener and then defeated by eight wickets in Brisbane. With Australia leading 2-0, the tourists now need wins in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to reclaim the Ashes.
The England team has been given some time off before heading to Adelaide for the third Test, which starts on December 17.
“We have got a couple of days in Noosa, which will be good to spend a couple of days casually and let the dust settle on what has been a pretty intense couple of weeks and start to plot and plan our way back into the series,” England head coach Brendon McCullum had said after the second Test.
The getaway had been scheduled before the series started, reports say, but with England on the verge of losing the Ashes before Christmas, the trip has drawn fresh scrutiny.
“I don’t think I would be going to Noosa. I am a bit old-school; it would be naughty boy nets. There are definite consequences to this. There always has been, there always will be,” former England cricketer David Lloyd said while speaking to the BBC.
Former Australian cricketer and coach Darren Lehmann had no problem with England’s mid-series getaway, saying that the practice was common.
“Please let the England players enjoy a few days off without the scrutiny; every side has a break mid-tour. When Adelaide comes around, let everything resume,” Lehmann said.
A separate light-hearted incident involving a few England cricketers at a Perth café has come to light as well, adding to the scrutiny surrounding the team’s scheduled four-day beach break in Noosa.
As per cricket writer Cameron Ponsonby, Brydon Carse, Harry Brook and Zak Crawley went out for brunch when Carse dropped thousands of dollars in cash from his pocket, sending the notes blowing across the area.
