Darren Gough: Jimmy Anderson is out of order… the Drinkgate scandal is no ‘non-event’ and England’s crazy partying has to stop
Bowler denied there was an issue after Ben Duckett poured a over his head on night out - but Ashes flops have gone OTT now
ENGLAND’S Ashes tour had descended into chaos even before the first ball was bowled at the Waca at the start of the Third Test.
And former England seamer and talkSPORT expert Darren Gough believes the latest boozing bust-up, with Ben Duckett banned for pouring a drink over Jimmy Anderson, is proof the squad is out of control...
CRICKETERS have always gone out for a drink.
That’s cricket. It always has been. Myself and Andrew Flintoff, all those guys, we went out and had a drink together, socialised.
But we’d go to the local pub, stay in the hotel bar. We didn’t have to go to the ‘it’ place.
Do people think Australians are tucked up in bed at 7.30 or playing ping-pong? No. Cameron Bancroft talked about it: We win and lose together. We go out together.
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So you can go out. We are adults. But it doesn’t mean you go out and have 25 pints or get drunk every single time.
What has changed, now, is the mentality of cricketers.
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They used to be down to earth, go for a couple with the Barmy Army to thank them for their support or go to the local boozer.
Now the earnings have gone to footballer levels. These guys are on £1million contracts — and should be training harder than ever to keep those contracts.
They only play international cricket now. They hardly play county cricket any more.
They have to train harder as they only train when they are with England.
The rest of the time they are left to their own devices.
But now they want to go to the ‘in’ spot, the most expensive bar, the trendy bar, the most expensive place in Perth, because it’s the place to be.
They have to be where all the best-looking people are, where they serve the best cocktails, best wine. That’s a lot to do with the money they earn.
What Jimmy Anderson said ahead of the game in Perth was out of order. He said it was all a non-event. A non-event?
Throwing drinks over each other and one person getting done for it. That happened. It’s an event — because one player has been fined £1500, Ben Duckett, as he was on the Lions tour.
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But everybody else who was throwing drinks got away with it.
You shouldn’t be doing it. Why did they? Drink it. It costs £4 a go!
Most of these England players are good pros.
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You look at Jimmy, Stuart Broad and they are good, fit lads, good athletes. They’re not like we were in the ’90s. They’re not abusing their bodies.
But when they go out, they go OTT. They can’t handle it and they all go absolutely mental. It has got to stop.
* DARREN GOUGH was speaking on talkSPORT.