England's cricket team has scrapped its midnight curfew, seven months after it was reintroduced following issues on a recent tour. The decision was made under the instruction of returning captain Joe Root and Stephen Fleming, the new Test coach.
The curfew, which applied to both the Test and white-ball teams, was initially brought back in January 2026. This followed a previous curfew imposed in 2017 that lasted until 2022.
Director of cricket Rob Key had previously considered a total alcohol ban after a winter of misdemeanours, which included captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson breaking the curfew. Head coach Brendon McCullum, who was recently sacked, had relaxed drinking guidelines for the T20 side's series win against India as his last act.
Root stated on Wednesday that allowing players to take responsibility off the field could help them perform better on it. England's next opportunity to improve their on-field performance begins next week with three matches against Pakistan.