Travis Head has poked holes in Ben Stokes’ claim that the Ashes were settled with drinks at a nightclub after Australia felt snubbed by England at The Oval, revealing a few players simply happened to be at the same venue.
The Aussies had waited outside the hosts’ locked dressing room for up to an hour before giving up, with England only spotted emerging shortly after they had left.
Stokes insisted the perceived cold shoulder was not intentional and had been forced by celebrations surrounding Stuart Broad’s retirement.
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“Our wrap took longer than expected because of multiple last time events,” he wrote in a tweet sent at 4.11am London time.
“We decided to meet up in the nightclub rather than the dressing room.”
Head confirmed he was among the Australians who shared some drinks with England players prior to an early flight home with his family the next day.
But he clarified there was hardly a decision made by the teams to ‘meet up’.
“We didn’t go there together, just by design that both teams found themselves at the same place on a Monday night,” he told the Willow Talk podcast of the nightclub meet-up.
“There’s not too many places to go on a Monday night in London, so we found ourselves at the same place.”
Post-series drinks have long been a tradition of international cricket, with players usually gathering once meetings and family time is finished.
Australian players are known to have been disappointed by the lack of social relations, with the two teams drinking together late into the night after the fifth Test at the same venue in 2019.
England sources said they expected to drink with Australia at the ground following their meetings and extended retirement presentations, but were surprised to learn the tourists had left.
The hosts put it all down to a misunderstanding.
The tension was heightened, though, because England coach Brendon McCullum had threatened to boycott the drinks following the controversial Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord’s.
“It’s been played up a little bit, the post-match (drama),” Head said.
“I think we hung around for a little bit. They had a couple of retirements, and I think a few staff that were going.
“We sort of knocked a couple of times and got told two minutes, which turned into an hour, and the boys got a bit fed-up.
“Aa few of the boys met up with them afterwards, and I’ve been in contact with a couple of the guys that I was close with about the differences in the timings.
“A bit disappointing, but I don’t think it was by design.”
Head said the episode had not permanently strained relationships between players.
“Ben Duckett was sort of chirping me a little bit about us dogging them and I chirped in a little bit about them dogging us, so all in good spirits,” he said.
“Like I said, I think it was all a bit laughed off from us, and then the media played it up a little bit. It wasn’t meant to be, but those things happen.”
– with AAP
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