Brendon McCullum on England players drinking: I don’t think they did things to excess

England coach Brendon McCullum hits the ball to England fielders during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

With England players drinking problem once again coming to the fore in Australia after yet another Ashes defeat, their head coach Brendon McCullum has defended his players saying they did not ‘do things to excess’ during the tour. After an outing in the mid-series break in Noosa where Ben Duckett was struggling to find his way back home, on Friday news emerged that vice-captain Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a bouncer during the tour of New Zealand that preceded the Ashes series.

All this incidents, particularly on the aftermath of their humbling performances, has called for a detailed review with the England Cricket Board saying it has already started one. But McCullum, whose position itself has come under scrutiny, defended the team’s behaviour.

“Half our guys don’t have a drink to be honest. They’ll have a couple of beers every now and again. I think people do that in most walks of life. These guys are young men playing a highly pressurised sport, they’ve got a talent which is cricket and there’s an opportunity for us to guide and nurture as they become fully grown men who are dealing with some high pressure,” McCullum said.

While the news of Brook’s incident emerged only after the Ashes, the episode in Noosa is already well documented with few videos going viral on social media. The break, which came on the back of their defeats, came under question as to whether the break was needed when the performances were below par.

“There are times where you surely need to have some breaks and I would say most cricket teams around the world would be pretty similar in their belief of that, Australia is not different from us, and I felt Noosa was quite important, the way the guys were able to stay committed to the group. They enjoyed themselves off the field and I don’t think they did things to excess, and they were still putting in the work off the field in terms of training, albeit not in front of everyone,” McCullum said.

According to reports, Brook was fined £30,000 and almost lost his white-ball captaincy as the incident came on the eve of an ODI. The Daily Telegraph reported that after the incident McCullum gave the whole team a dressing down in Wellington.