Archive · 13 Aug 2026
Root Scraps Midnight Curfew, Tells England Players to Be Adults
Joe Root is the captain of England's cricket team, and this is his second time doing the job.
The team had a rule called a curfew, which said players had to be back at their hotel by midnight and tell the team if they would be out after 10 o'clock at night.
The rule was made after some players got into trouble during trips to New Zealand and Australia.
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke the curfew during a night out in London and were dropped from the next Test match; Stokes later retired from playing for England.
Joe Root has now taken away the curfew.
He thinks rules like this do not work and that players should be trusted to make good choices, like grown adults.
He wants players to look after themselves and each other, and to celebrate wins sensibly.
The cricket board backs his decision, and he will set the team's standards with the new head coach, Stephen Fleming.
Some reports say Brendon McCullum stepped down as coach, while others say he was removed.
England's next matches are a three-Test series against Pakistan, starting at Headingley on August 19.
Joe Root, in his second stint as England Test captain, has scrapped the team's midnight curfew ahead of the series against Pakistan, saying curfews 'don't work.'
Root said players should be trusted as 'grown adults' to take responsibility and self-police off the field alongside new head coach Stephen Fleming.
The curfew was imposed after late-night incidents on the winter tours of New Zealand and Australia; Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson breached it during a night out in London and were dropped for the second Test against New Zealand, with Stokes later retiring from international cricket.
The ECB backed the decision, saying Root and Fleming will set the team's standards; reports differ on whether Brendon McCullum stepped down or was removed as head coach, and the curfew was reportedly also lifted for the white-ball team.
England, seventh in the World Test Championship standings, begin a three-Test series against Pakistan at Headingley on August 19.
- Who
- Joe Root, newly appointed England Test captain, backed by the ECB and new head coach Stephen Fleming; former captain Ben Stokes retired in June.
- What
- Scrapped the England men's team's midnight curfew and urged players to behave as responsible 'grown adults.'
- When
- Announced on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast on Wednesday, ahead of the Pakistan series starting on August 19.
- Where
- England; the three-Test series against Pakistan begins at Headingley.
- Why
- Root believes curfews do not work and that players trusted to take responsibility on the field should also be trusted off it.
Trust-based approach
Rule-based approach
Team curfew policy
Trust-based approach
Root believes curfews do not work and players should be trusted as 'grown adults' to take responsibility and self-police their off-field behaviour alongside head coach Stephen Fleming.
Rule-based approach
ECB chief executive Richard Gould said in January that players should face stricter measures, including a midnight curfew, after a series of off-field incidents.
Dealing with player discipline
Trust-based approach
Root says restrictions are unnecessary if players understand their responsibilities, and the team should be known for what it does on the field, including celebrating a win with a 'sensible beer.'
Rule-based approach
Repeated incidents — Stokes and Atkinson breaching the curfew during a night out in London, and Harry Brook's altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand — showed discipline failures that prompted stricter rules.
- Team
- England men's cricket team
- Captain
- Joe Root (second stint)
- Policy change
- Midnight curfew scrapped
- Previous rule
- Return to hotel by midnight; notify management if out after 10 PM
- Head coach
- Stephen Fleming (replaced Brendon McCullum)
- Opposition
- Pakistan — three-Test series
- Series start
- August 19, at Headingley
- World Test Championship position
- England ranked seventh
Sources
England Test Captain Joe Root Scraps Midnight Curfew, Tells Players To Be Adults And Remain Sensible
England scraps midnight curfew on mens cricket team under new captain Joe Root
Root removes curfew, tells teammates, ‘Let’s be adults, look after yourselves’
