There is nothing like a few cold beers after a match to celebrate or drown away your sorrows and, unless the coach has a team on a wacky diet plan, there generally isn’t much wrong with it either. At times, however, a couple of drinks have turned into full-scale benders that would not have been so fondly remembered the next morning.Englishmen and Australians are the most frequent offenders – at times getting into scraps with each other – demonstrating the ingrained drinking cultures of both countries.Here are 10 cricketers who have got into trouble after having a few too many drinks – with punishments ranging from simple embarrassment to a fair bit worse.
David Warner
During Australia’s hopeless tour of England in 2013, David Warner made sure to only amplify problems in Birmingham after having an altercation with rival Joe Root in a Walkabout – an Australian-themed bar.
It emerged that Warner had in fact punched Root, apparently due to the Englishman’s impersonations of Hashim Amla with a fake beard (although this was vehemently denied), and subsequently Warner was dropped by Australia for the side’s next Champions Trophy which was ultimately abandoned.
Warner later apologised for his actions and the issue was quickly nipped in the bud, and on the field later that summer he pulled a ball which was caught by Root. He amusingly commented: “Yeah, hooked another one to Rooty.”
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is perhaps one of Australia’s most unfulfilled talents and the divisive cricketer’s drunken escapades were well documented throughout his career.
After many run-ins with the board – he was once sent home for missing a team meeting due to a fishing trip – the final straw came in 2009 when Symonds reportedly celebrated exuberantly following a warm-up victory in the World Twenty20 against New Zealand.
The all-rounder was subsequently thrown off the tour for his behaviour and never competed for his country again. He continued as a freelance T20 cricketer until 2011 before retiring for good.
Jesse Ryder
New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder has built a reputation for being a hard-hitter on the cricket field and his brutal power has made him a vital asset for the Black Caps over the past few years – especially in the limited-overs formats.
But away from the pitch the Kiwi was regularly embroiled in controversy. In early 2008 he landed himself in hot water after damaging a window and injuring his hand while attempting to enter a toilet in a bar in Christchurch. However, it was in the same city five years later where a much darker incident occurred.
Ryder was attacked outside of a bar in the early hours of the morning and spent 56 hours in an induced coma before recovering – an event that left the cricket community in unanimous shock and concern.
Ricky Ponting
On reflection – most probably when he was awarded with captaincy – Ricky Ponting would have perhaps thought ill of some of his shenanigans earlier in his career, a period which once saw him dropped from Australia’s one-day team.
England had defeated the host nation in Sydney in 1999 and Ponting had wound up in a nightclub. His next memory was waking up the morning after in the team hotel sporting a black eye after a brawl.
Ponting admitted he had a problem with alcohol and vowed to sort it out, and to his credit he did. The Tasmanian presided over one of the most successful Australia teams ever in the 2000s and established himself as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the sport.
Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar’s rise through the ranks was rapid following Ashley Giles’ retirement and the affable Sikh was quickly adopted as a fan favourite by England’s supporters.
More recently, however, Panesar’s drinking habits have gotten the better of him and in August 2013 he was fined after urinating on two bouncers outside of a nightclub in London – a meltdown that has largely been attributed to a painful split from his wife.
The emergence of Graeme Swann relegated Panesar to England’s second-choice spinner and, despite doing his utmost to regain his place, he has never had more than a fleeting appearance since. The 33-year-old last appeared for his country in December 2013 and his international career is most likely over.
Andrew Flintoff
Andrew Flintoff was never a stranger to controversy in his playing days and it was during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean where Freddie had his most memorable clash with the booze.
Shortly after England’s first match of the competition, the all-rounder, buoyed by the confidence of one too many, set off on a pedalo in the early hours of the morning only to capsize it – the media promptly labelled it the ‘Fredalo’ incident.
Flintoff was relieved of his duties as vice-captain and the England unit had been left rather embarrassed. Quick to make a jibe, when they played Ireland in the Super Eight stage of the tournament, Irish fans proceeded to chant: “What shall we do with the drunken sailor?”
Ben Stokes
England’s fiery red head may be new to the scene but Ben Stokes has already shown himself to be no stranger to alcohol, having been sent home from an England Lions tour to Australia in 2013 due to “persistent late-night drinking” with teammate Matt Coles.
Just over a year earlier, Stokes also got himself into trouble back home, having been taken into custody for obstructing a policeman just a few months after making his international debut.
He looks to have acquired a better temperament since and is becoming an integral part of England’s line-up in all three formats. They’ll just hope they haven’t got another Flintoff on their hands.
James Faulkner
Australians getting into trouble in England has become something of a theme and James Faulkner is the latest to follow the unwanted trend. The 25-year-old was arrested and charged for drink driving in July 2015 and awaits a court appearance in Manchester.
Although not part of the Ashes squad currently touring the country, Faulkner was likely to be involved in the one-day matches but Cricket Australia have already announced that he has been banned for four matches.
The Aussie is, however, still playing for English county Lancashire and is proving useful for them in both first-class and T20 cricket.
Gary Ballance
England’s new breed might come across as a slightly meek bunch but away from the game that often changes. Zimbabwe-born batsman Gary Ballance was given a conduct warning last summer after a photo surfaced of him topless while holding a beer.
Ballance, who was in a nightclub in Nottingham partying after England’s first Test against India at Trent Bridge, was warned by coach Peter Moores but did not face any formal disciplinary action.
The left-hander was reportedly “embarrassed” after his antics and said he would not get up to such mischief again – a comment he has so far managed to uphold.
Liam Plunkett
Liam Plunkett’s penchant for speed as a fast bowler is well known, but the England cricketer has also made the headlines for booze-infused incidents behind the wheel.
The 30-year-old has received two drink-driving bans in the past, with the latest coming in August 2012, five years after his first. The second ban came after he was stopped in the middle of the night in Durham, where he was found to be twice over the legal limit.
Plunkett has redeemed himself admirably since then though, finding his way back into the Test side briefly in 2014. He also played two matches in England’s thrilling ODI series with New Zealand in June this year.