Ashes 2017: England players have 'sensible rules' on drinking - Trevor Bayliss
- Published
England players have agreed "sensible" rules for drinking on the Ashes tour of Australia but there will be no curfews, says coach Trevor Bayliss.
Ben Stokes was arrested in September after an incident outside a Bristol nightclub during England's one-day series with West Indies.
The all-rounder did not fly out to Australia on Saturday for the Ashes series, which begins on 23 November.
"Not drinking between matches is just sensible," Bayliss told the BBC.
Speaking to Test Match Special, he added: "There's been no set curfews. I think they're just sensible rulings.
"To me, they're what we should be sticking to anyway as a player or someone around a professional set-up. The players have sat down and had a chat and they're the ones that've come up with it."
Prior to flying down under, captain Joe Root denied there is a drinking culture in the team.
Bayliss said the players must pick the "right time to have a couple of drinks" but know "when to stay away from it".
He added: "We certainly don't want to put too many curfews on them that keep them in their rooms. It's a long tour, you've got to get out and experience the country that you're touring."
Test vice-captain Stokes, 26, was named in England's 16-man touring squad but was replaced by Steven Finn after the Sun newspaper published footage allegedly showing Stokes in a street brawl.
Alex Hales was with Stokes when the incident took place and was later interviewed under police caution, but his lawyer said he would be "surprised" if he faced further action.
Bayliss said the end of last season had been a "difficult time" but the team were focused on retaining the Ashes.
"It's a month ago now, and certainly the guys here in Australia have gone about their business and there hasn't really been chat about it all," he said.
"Everyone's been concentrating on what we need to do to win this series."
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