England’s cricketers have drawn criticism in Queensland after a group of players were seen riding electric scooters without helmets, prompting an Australian state minister to accuse them of flouting local laws.
Tim Mander, the Queensland Minister for Sport, described Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Jamie Smith as “silly Pommy cricketers” after footage emerged of the trio travelling around Brisbane on Lime scooters without the required safety gear.
Queensland Police confirmed they would not take formal action, saying officers had spoken with the players and “educated them on compliance requirements” for using electric scooters.
State law mandates that all e-scooter riders must wear a bike helmet, a rule widely publicised and reinforced through signage and scooter-hire instructions.
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Many Lime scooters even come with helmets physically attached to them for customer use.
Images circulated on social media showed Smith, 25, riding with the helmet still hanging unused at the front of the scooter.
Ordinarily, failure to comply with the regulation can result in fines of up to £82 (166 AUD), but authorities opted for leniency given the circumstances and the players’ swift cooperation.
Tim Mander has blasted the England cricket trio for their conduct
|GETTY
Nevertheless, Mander seized on the incident to criticise the tourists and simultaneously promote a new road-safety message.
“What the Pommy cricketers did was very irresponsible, but it has helped us with a new road safety campaign,” he said. “Don’t be silly like the Pommy cricketers, wear your helmet.”
Ollie Pope, England’s No 3, was questioned about the matter ahead of the second Ashes Test but played down the controversy, suggesting that it was important for players to decompress during a long overseas tour.
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Five things to know about The Ashes | PA“Just put a helmet on next time, I guess. Rules are rules,” he said.
“I mean, if they want to catch us doing that then so be it, but it is important to have balance on a long tour like this.
"In the days after the Test you’re very aware of the attention. It was everywhere you went, when the guys were trying to unwind.
“For us as cricketers and as people I think it’s important to try and be able to switch off and be yourself.
"Losing a game like we did, everyone’s gutted, but locking your doors and not coming out of your room is the unhealthy thing to do, as we saw in Covid times.
"Whatever you’re doing in your off time, whether it’s just taking your mind away from cricket for a day or two, I think that’s really important.”
Ollie Pope has addressed the controversy ahead of England's second Ashes Test with Australia
| GETTYThe episode arrives at a challenging moment for England, who head into the second Test at the Gabba seeking to recover from a bruising defeat in Perth.
Australia secured an eight-wicket victory inside two days to take a 1–0 series lead, exposing frailties across England’s batting and bowling groups.
The tourists are already dealing with setbacks of their own, with speed bowler Mark Wood ruled out of the match due to injury.
He has been replaced by spinning all-rounder Will Jacks as England seek greater balance in their attack.
Australia, meanwhile, face the prospect of playing without captain Pat Cummins and opener Usman Khawaja, both of whom are managing injuries.
How the action on the field plays out remains to be seen.