ADELAIDE, Australia: England stars Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Jonny Bairstow have been cleared of any wrongdoing after reports of a late-night drinking session at an Adelaide club.
The Adelaide Advertiser and other media said the pair were at the city’s club Zhivago until 3.30am on Monday, just days ahead of the second Ashes Test against Australia which begins tomorrow.
A Zhivago spokeswoman told the Advertiser the pair were “extremely friendly” and happy to chat with fans and have their photos taken.
“They were at the club most of the night enjoying a few drinks and the newly renovated venue,” she said.
A patron told the newspaper: “They were getting stuck in but by no means messy.”
Monday was a rest day for the team following their arrival from Alice Springs and the England Cricket Board said it had no issue with their actions.
“They are free to do as they please -- they are grown men. There has been no breach of team protocol,” an ECB spokeswoman told reporters.
The Sydney Daily Telegraph splashed the story on its front and back pages yesterday.
“The Poms can’t handle a sledge but they sure can handle a drink,” it said.
“England’s bumbling Ashes tourists have followed up their first Test defeat with a huge session at an Adelaide night club that finished around 3.30am.”
It added: “The late-night drinking session is hardly ideal preparation just two days out from the vital second Test at Adelaide Oval.”
Meanwhile, the Adelaide Oval is a tough place for seamers, let alone one returning from a stress fracture in his back, but England’s Tim Bresnan is ready to handle the workload if selected for this week’s second Ashes Test.
The bowling all-rounder was called into the Test squad on Monday after travelling to Australia with the England Performance Programme and proving his fitness against Queensland’s Second XI last week.
“It’s a massive boost for me,” Bresnan told a news conference at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.
“Obviously I’m excited to be back amongst it and available for selection. It’s been very frustrating travelling with the guys and not being able to play in the warm-up games.
“But yeah, relishing the chance, if I do get one at Adelaide.”
Although the Adelaide Oval will feature a drop-in wicket for the first time in a Test, it is expected to be true to the tradition of the ground and offer little for the quick bowlers.
Agencies
