‘Underprepared, cafe outings after Perth loss, disobeying captain Stokes’ - ENG's shock Ashes details revealed

England endured yet another shocking away Ashes this time. Although they broke their 18-match losing streak Down Under, thanks to a two-day win at the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, the touring side failed to click as a unit, with recent reports revealing shock details of what was going on behind the scenes.

While a few of the English players had their moments during the two-month stay in Australia, including Joe Root, who smashed twin tons across five Tests, and Jacob Bethell, who starred in Sydney regardless of the outcome, others, unnamed in a recent report, did not have the best time, both on and off the field. Among those include team captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, both of whom have come under the radar with the ECB announcing a ‘thorough’ investigation of England’s dismal performance.

British outlet The Telegraph compiled a shocking list of things, emotions and everything beyond, which led to England’s 1-4 defeat at the hands of Australia. While the hosts enjoy sitting at the top of the WTC standings, England is reeling in the seventh spot with six losses and just three wins in ten matches since June last year.

Meanwhile, England made headlines beyond their on-field cricket, with reports of several players getting involved in uncalled-for activities in the lead-up to the Ashes and even during it, putting them all in a bad light; the most significant of those included the viral video of opener Ben Duckett’s drunken outing in Noosa between the second and third Test. Other included vice-captain Harry Brook, who, just after the Ashes got over at the SCG, apologised for his actions involving an altercation with a bouncer at a New Zealand pub, the night before he assumed England’s white-ball captaincy.

Everything is not okay within the English team

A Telegraph report dropped shocking details, which included a casual cafe outing (by several players) in Perth just a day after England lost the series opener within six sessions; however, it wasn’t even a concern until seamer Brydon Carse accidently dislodged ‘thousands of dollars’ from his pocket into the air, with onlookers, including teammates Brook and Zak Crawley and a few English journalists left scrambling to collect the cash and hand it over to him, with all being embarrassed.

“The incident, whether innocent or otherwise, acts as an emblem for an Ashes tour that was loose, careless and at times downright baffling,” a Telegraph report read.

Moreover, that report also stated that a few senior officials felt ‘uneasy about the planning, or lack of it, for the away Ashes; also, one of the senior players arrived in Perth early ahead of the team’s schedule ‘because he turned up overweight on the tour.’

More details

Besides, a few of the English players, staying at the Crown Towers in Perth, were frequent visitors to casino tables, 'often well-oiled’.

Not only this, but the report also claims that the two men at the helm of things, Stokes and McCullum, ‘began to diverge’ ahead of the Gabba Test over the team needing extra training following the Perth Test loss.

Even after going down in the second match in Brisbane, ‘tense conversations’ took place among the English camp.

It didn’t end there.

After conceding the Adelaide Test and the Ashes, all inside 11 days, captain Stokes asked his players not to head out of the town, only for his orders to be disobeyed by ‘some'.

Meanwhile, England’s next Test assignment is later in June this year, with the board having ample time to fix the errors and work towards putting the England Test team back on track.