Overview
- Head coach Brendon McCullum rejected claims of a booze-fuelled tour, saying “half our guys don’t have a drink” and that players did not do “things to excess,” while calling the Noosa break important for the group.
- English media reports, citing The Telegraph, describe a tactical and philosophical split between McCullum and captain Ben Stokes over training intensity and approach during the series.
- James Anderson criticised Stokes’ post-series praise of bowlers’ “effort,” saying on BBC Radio that such effort is a basic expectation and pointing to Mitchell Starc’s consistency as the standard.
- The ECB’s review—confirmed by chief executive Richard Gould—will examine tour planning, preparation, individual performance and behaviours with an eye on improvements before 2027.
- Discipline questions include a clip that appears to show Ben Duckett intoxicated and reports that vice-captain Harry Brook was fined £30,000 after a nightclub altercation in New Zealand preceding the Ashes.