Ashes: Ben Duckett finds unlikely support in Travis Head over ‘drinking video’ episode

The ongoing Ashes have turned foes into friends as Australian opener Travis Head admits to reaching out to his counterpart, England opener Ben Duckett, over the drunken video episode that put him and the touring English side in bad light. Following England's loss in the third Test in Adelaide, ECB managing director Robert Key vowed to investigate reports of English players drinking excessively during a break in the beach town of Noosa; a few unverified videos of drunken Duckett involved in arguments with members of the public went viral soon after, putting him on notice.

Speaking on what Duckett must have faced and felt heading into the Boxing Day Test, which England won inside two days, Head revealed, "I get on with Ducky well and reached out to him to see if he was going alright.

"Everyone is still human. What you do in your personal time is up to you.

"I know we live a high-profile life, and some people are more high-profile than others. At the end of the day, it is a bit stiff, but I don't think there is any real issue,” Head said, as quoted by the BBC.

After losing the Ashes opener in Perth, which got wrapped up within six sessions, several English players were reportedly drinking heavily during their time on the Queensland coast, raising questions about their seriousness about the series. Although England produced an improved show in the second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, they lost that pink-ball Test, further conceding the Ashes in the third game in Adelaide.

England captain Ben Stokes also threw his weight behind Duckett ahead of the Boxing Day Test, admitting to enduring the hardest time as an English skipper while managing the well-being of his teammates.

On the other hand, Head, who scored a valiant 46 in the second innings at the MCG, spoke on England breaking the ice and winning a Test match Down Under, their first since 2011.

"I was jealous,” Head said. "Everyone has made a lot more out of it than what it should have been.

"We have done the same thing on past tours. I don't have an issue with it,” he added.

Meanwhile, despite losing the Boxing Day Test to England, Australia lead the five-match series 3-1, with the New Year’s Test awaiting at the SCG, starting early next year.