The Ashes: Ben Stokes says England did not snub traditional post-series drinks with Australia
An Australian team source calls it "pathetic", but England says Australia's players had left the ground when they invited them in.
Tuesday 1 August 2023 13:38, UK
England cricket captain Ben Stokes has denied his team snubbed the traditional post-series drinks with Australia after The Ashes ended at The Oval on Monday.
In a tweet posted just after 4am on Tuesday morning, Stokes said: "To clarify… Our wrap took longer than expected because of multiple last-time events. We decided to meet up in the night club rather than the dressing room."
Two England players, England bowlers Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali, were playing their last Test, which England won to draw the series 2-2.
Stokes was responding to a tweet by cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan, who said late on Monday: "Didn't look like the Australian and English teams had their customary post-series drinks tonight at The Oval.
"Did notice the Aussies hanging around for quite a while waiting & Steve Smith even peering into the English rooms a couple of times before giving up #Ashes."
The Australians were unamused by events, however, a source close to the touring team said.
Australian media outlet, foxsports.com.au, quoted the source as saying: "We don't really care, we've got the urn, but after a hard-fought series it is pretty pathetic. Talk about the spirit of cricket."
The Sydney Morning Herald quoted an England spokesman who said it had been a "misunderstanding" and Australia's players had left the ground when they invited them in.
An Australian team spokesman declined to comment, the paper said, but quoted sources close to the team who said they knocked on the England dressing room door a number of times and waited for more than an hour.
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Post-series drinks have long been a tradition of international cricket, with players usually gathering once meetings and family time is finished.
England coach Brendon McCullum had threatened to boycott the drinks earlier in the series, after the controversial Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord's.
Tensions had appeared to ease between the two teams since, and Stokes said relations with Australian players had been friendly, with limited sledging in the series.
The Australian media were more focused on a controversial ball change on the fourth day, after which England's bowling was much more threatening.
The Daily Telegraph in Australia described the ball change as "disgraceful", while Peter Lalor in The Australian asked if a "blunder" by the umpires had cost Australia the series victory, saying the change "appeared to alter the course of the game" and argued it "cost the visitors dearly".
Australia opener Usman Khawaja agreed, calling it "the big thing" as they slipped to defeat.
England won the fifth and final Test by 49 runs on the last evening of the series, with the retiring Broad taking the last two wickets.