Credit: Twitter
The Ashes 2023 series ended in a thrilling encounter after England won the fifth and final Test at The Oval by 49 runs. However, the series also witnessed a controversy over the post-match drinks between the two teams, which did not happen as per traditions.
According to Australia’s star batsman Steve Smith, who scored 71 in the first innings, the visitors knocked on the door of the England dressing room a couple of times, hoping to share a drink with their rivals. However, they were kept waiting for an hour by England captain Ben Stokes, who came out at one point and said, “Two minutes”
“The guys got a bit fed up and decided it was time to go. It was unfortunate, it was the first time in my career that we’ve not had a drink with them after a series and it was a bit of a shame,” Smith said in an interview on Thursday.
Smith’s partner in the team, Travis Head, who scored 302 runs in the series, also expressed his disappointment over the incident. He said that he was looking forward to having a chat with some of the England players, especially those who were retiring or leaving the team
“But yeah, a few of the boys met up with them afterward, and I’ve been in contact with a couple of the guys that I was close with about the differences in the timings. A bit disappointing, but I don’t think it was by design, said Head on the Willow Talk Podcast.
Head stated that he met a few of the English players in a nightclub later that night, where they shared ‘one or two vodka redbulls’ before leaving to catch the flight.
“We didn’t go there together (the nightclub). It’s just by design again that both teams found themselves at the same place. I think it was a Monday night, but there are not many places to go on a Monday night in London, so we found ourselves at the same place... shared one or two Vodka Red Bulls together and then off to the flight,” stated Travis Head on the podcast.
Stokes, however, clarified on Twitter that the reason for the delay was due to multiple presentations and other commitments for the retiring players and select staff members. He also said that both teams met later at a nightclub and had a good time
“To clarify… Our wrap took longer than expected because of multiple last-time event's. We decided to meet up in the night club rather than the dressing room,”
The post-Ashes drink controversy added another layer of drama to an already captivating series, which saw both teams display some high-quality cricket and sportsmanship. The two sides will meet again in India later this year for the ODI World Cup
