England's cricket authorities have opened an inquiry into allegations that the squad's four-day break in Noosa, taken between the second and third Ashes Tests, descended into a heavy drinking session resembling a stag party.
Rob Key, the managing director, maintained that players conducted themselves appropriately during their visit to Queensland's Sunshine Coast resort.
However, he confirmed the claims of excessive alcohol consumption would be thoroughly examined.
"Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol for an international cricket team is not something I'd expect to see at any stage," Key stated.
He was unequivocal about the consequences if the allegations prove accurate: "If they're drinking lots and it's a stag-do, all that type of stuff, that's completely unacceptable."
Key emphasised he had no objections to the Noosa excursion if its purpose was simply to escape, disconnect from mobile phones, and relax on the beach.
The ECB has bolstered security arrangements and possesses sufficient means to establish precisely what occurred during the trip.
England cricket chief Rob Key has defended players amid claims they over-indulged on alcohol
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"Everything I've heard so far is that they sat down, had lunch, had dinner, didn't go out late, had the odd drink. I don't mind that," Key explained.
"If it goes past that, then that's an issue, as far as I'm concerned."
The managing director, who described himself as a non-drinker, expressed his belief that a drinking culture offers no benefits whatsoever to anyone involved.
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Five things to know about The Ashes | PAThis is not the first occasion this winter that player conduct has come under scrutiny, however.
Key revealed that several squad members, including Jacob Bethell and Gus Atkinson, had already been spoken to following an Instagram post that showed them drinking the evening before the third one-day international against New Zealand in Wellington during early November.
"I think that was a bit of a wake-up call, actually, for what they were going into," Key said.
The managing director indicated he found a glass of wine with dinner acceptable, but anything beyond that he considered "ridiculous, really."
He noted the team had experienced four years without such issues, adding that while the Wellington incident did not merit formal disciplinary action, informal warnings were appropriate.
The controversy surrounding the Noosa trip comes at a particularly inopportune moment, with the fourth Test set to begin in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
Australia have absolutely dominated England in this winter's Ashes series so far
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England are battling to prevent a third 5-0 whitewash across their last six tours to Australia, making the distraction especially unwelcome.
They have already lost the Ashes after just 11 days of action.
Pressure is mounting on head coach Brendon McCullum to turn things around. However, despite the scrutiny, the 44-year-old recently made it clear he had no intention of stepping down from his position.
“I don’t know. It’s not really up to me, is it? I will just keep trying to do the job, try to learn the lessons that I haven’t quite got right here and make adjustments. Those questions are for someone else, not for me," he said when asked about his future.
“It’s a pretty good gig. It’s good fun. You travel the world with the lads and try to play some exciting cricket and try to achieve some things.
"For me, it’s a matter of trying to just get the very best out of the people and try to achieve what you can with them. Those other decisions are up to other people. I think we’ve made some progress from when I took over to where we are.”