Particle.news
Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store
26 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Root Removes England's Midnight Curfew on Return as Test Captain

The move hands day-to-day responsibility for discipline to captain Joe Root with incoming coach Stephen Fleming, shifting from written curbs to player self-policing.

Cricket - England v New Zealand - Third Test - Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham, Britain - June 28, 2026 England's Joe Root reacts Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo
In his first official act since returning as England's Test match captain, Joe Root has scrapped the midnight curfew rule which was imposed by the ECB last month.
Image
Image

Overview

  • Joe Root announced on Wednesday that the England team’s midnight curfew will be lifted ahead of the three-Test series against Pakistan that begins at Headingley on August 19.
  • Root said curfews 'don't work' and urged players to 'be adults', arguing that trusting players to manage their nights will support responsibility on the field.
  • The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the change and said Root and new head coach Stephen Fleming will set clear expectations, with Fleming joining later and Marcus Trescothick acting as interim coach for the Pakistan series.
  • The curfew was first imposed in January after a string of off-field incidents, including Harry Brook's nightclub altercation and a June London episode involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, and enforcement was criticised for being unclear.
  • The leadership shift makes the Pakistan Tests the immediate test of whether a culture of autonomy under Root and Fleming can restore discipline and improve England’s results over a demanding 18-month schedule.