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So the England boys went out for a drink or two or three.  Is it right that they have been castigated in the press, fined and that Flintoff has been stripped of his vice-captaincy?  It’s certainly not right that the backroom staff should also be fined punished for not “advising the players to leave”.  Are they not adults?

I have played team sport all my life and well know the benefits of team bonding exercises and the effects they can have on team spirit.  In the UK, the culture is that this is done by going out for a few drinks, having some fun and relaxing as a team.  Even Premiership footballers do it, despite all of the changes in diet and nutrition that have been introduced over the last few years.

So where is the harm in the “England 6″ going out for a few pints?  As Mr Botham was heard to comment during the Canada game - “I don’t know what all the fuss is about”.

Well known for a drink or two himself, I read that he used to take the England and Australian teams back to his house for bar-b-ques and beer, where no doubt banter was exchanged and friendships were made.

I happen to know that a key member of the test team went out after the Melbourne test and got bladdered before tucking into a kebab on the way home.  (I know this because my brother was in the same bar).  This didn’t make the press though.

So what’s the difference between the Botham days, the Melbourne incident and last week?  The only difference I can see is that some pathetic England “fan” decided to take a picture or two and try and make a few pounds, without thinking through or worse still not caring about the consequences. 

So in my opinion the only sin committed was not doing it in private and getting caught in the act.  Still I’m sure they have all learned a vaulable lesson  - that with today’s technology no celebrity is safe anywhere, and of course Pedalos are an unsafe mode of transport when slightly the worse for drink.

My bet will be though that Freddie in particular will bounce back against Kenya and not only perform with the ball as he always does these days, but go on to make a big score too.  Although I’m sure he won’t be nipping out for a celebratory drink if he does.

Fraser

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