England investigate after police break up post-Ashes party

The England and Wales Cricket Board will investigate after police were called to break up an early-hours drinking session at the team hotel.

England and Australia's players and staff got together to mark the end of the Ashes at the tourists' Hobart base.

Video showsexternal-link England captain Joe Root, bowler James Anderson and Australia trio Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey and Travis Head being told to disperse by police.

«The England party have apologised for any inconvenience,» said the ECB.

«The hotel management received a noise complaint by a hotel guest and, as is commonplace in Australia, the local police attended the scene.

»When asked to leave by hotel management and the Tasmanian police, the players and management in question returned to their respective hotel rooms.

«The ECB will investigate further. Until such times, we will make no further comment.»

The investigation will not only focus on the incident itself but also how the video of the police intervention got in the public domain.

The video showed four officers ordering Root, Anderson, Head, Carey and Lyon, who were sat around a table populated by beer bottles, to disperse from a roof terrace.

It was shot by England assistant coach Graham Thorpe, who can be heard naming the players and saying he was «videoing this for the lawyers».

Thorpe took charge of England for the drawn fourth Test in Sydney when head coach Chris Silverwood was in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19.

England's coaching team were already under pressure following England's 4-0 series defeat.

The incident comes the day after a newspaper report suggested a drinking culture had developedexternal-link on the tour among England staff and players, exacerbated by Covid restrictions placed on the