Ben Stokes has defended England against allegations that the team has a drinking culture, but stated that cricket's relationship with alcohol has not moved on since the eighties.
Speaking on For The Love Of Cricket podcast, Stokes was asked whether the England team he captained until his international retirement earlier this summer had a drinking culture.
"No, that's such an extreme thing to put on a team," he replied. "Cricket has a drinking culture, and it hasn't changed. We're in 2026 now, where the game has gone more professional over the years, and one thing that I think has stayed within cricket is its relationship with alcohol. From club cricket, and then it works its way up. It's stayed there, and it's been embedded within the sport. That's the relationship."
England were faced with allegations of a drinking culture during the Ashes last winter, when several players were seen drinking heavily during the team's mid-series break in Noosa. Stokes defended the decision to go to Noosa, stating that he would still choose to do the same thing again in hindsight of England's heavy series defeat.
Ben Stokes: I've had relationships with alcohol that have been potentially dangerous
The drinking culture allegations intensified when it was revealed after the Ashes that white-ball captain Harry Brook had been disciplined following an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand in the early hours of the morning before an ODI.
As a result, England implemented a midnight curfew for their white-ball series in Sri Lanka earlier this year. However, following the first Test match of the summer at Lord's, Stokes and Gus Atkinson missed the second Test after being involved in an incident at a Chelsea nightclub after midnight, during which a member of ECB security staff required stitches.
Speaking after that incident, England managing director Rob Key stated that he would consider imposing a complete alcohol ban on the side.
"The relationship between alcohol and cricket is something that hasn't moved on as the game of cricket has become more professional," said Stokes. "There's been more science and medicine, there's more nutritional information, there's more this, and there's more that. But the one thing that has been a constant and stayed around for a very long time is its relationship with alcohol. So for people to think that the English cricket team has a drinking culture, no, I would just say cricket has a culture that is associated with alcohol."
Stokes also stated that his own relationship with alcohol had at times been "dangerous" during his career.
"I think it [alcohol] can be a problem, because if you look at everything over the years, you look at people that have been involved within cricket and have had bad relationships with alcohol. I don't know what you do to change it. It's one of those things. I've had, I don't want to say problems, but I've had relationships with alcohol at times over my career that have been potentially dangerous, if that makes sense. But that's completely different to me now."
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