Joe Root: England Test captain removes curfew and implores his players to 'be adults' ahead of Pakistan series

Joe Root has ruled out a curfew under his England Test captaincy and implored his players to behave like "grown adults" ahead of his first series back at the helm against Pakistan.

England's Test team have been plagued with alcohol-related issues since the away Ashes series in late 2025, culminating in then-captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson not being selected for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval in June after breaking a curfew as they were involved in a nightclub incident.

Stokes retired from international cricket after the third Test, for which he and Atkinson returned.

The ECB issued additional player behaviour guidelines in July - signed off by ECB managing director Rob Key - which stated that a midnight curfew is in place, players cannot appear under the influence of alcohol in public, and players should inform management if they are out of the team hotel by 10pm.

Root, though, appears to be taking a different approach to behaviour-related guidelines under his captaincy, and says the behaviour of his players is their own responsibility:

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"There's not going to be a curfew. I don't think this needs to be a big deal, to be honest," Root said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.

"My view on the curfew is that the players are doing their work, and if you want guys to take responsibility on the field, they've got to feel like they can be grown adults and make good, strong decisions off it.

"That's for us as a team to manage well, and police well for me and [new head coach] Stephen Fleming.

"We should be known for how we play cricket and what we do on the field. We should be on the back page of papers.

"Be adults, look after yourselves, look after each other. [We need to] create a good, strong culture where you know when the right time is to celebrate and enjoy a win or to have a sensible beer, but remember - you've got to play for England.

"I don't want people to feel like they can't enjoy winning a Test match because they want to have a beer or at the right time let their hair down and then that's absolutely fine. We're human beings at the end of the day.

"You know what your responsibilities are, you know how you need to prepare for a Test match and what it takes, and the effects that these things can have on you. So be smart, be sensible, and just be an adult."

When asked for comment, the ECB responded: "We have a Test captain and coach, who are looking at how they set team standards and culture.

"As part of this, the curfew will no longer be in place. We will ensure all players have a clear understanding of expectations when they come together for the upcoming Test series."

Despite the controversy surrounding Stokes' departure, Root refused to rule out an Ashes return for the former England captain.

When asked whether he would welcome Stokes' return, Root said: "I don't know - let's get there first."

Root 'gutted' at McCullum departure but ushers in Fleming era

The England Test captain also revealed his disappointment at the departure of previous head coach Brendon McCullum, who he worked with as interim captain during a loss at the Oval in the second Test of the New Zealand series in June.

"I'll be honest with you. I was gutted when I found out Brendon was no longer going to be the Test coach. He's someone that I feel has really got the best out of me personally.

"I love the way he sees the game, and the way that he's opened my eyes up to looking at it slightly differently.

"I feel like he's a brilliant coach. I'm very glad that we still get to work together in the white-ball stuff.

"He's someone that I owe a huge amount to, and that I've become pretty close with. I think they're doing brilliant stuff in white-ball teams. And I wish him all the very best in that."

McCullum remains England white-ball head coach, but has been replaced as Test coach by his former New Zealand team-mate Stephen Fleming, who Root expressed his admiration for as a player and a coach.

"[Fleming and I] have crossed paths a bit over the last few years when he's coached different teams around the world. I have someone that I've always admired.

"He's someone that I really did admire as a player. The way that he's always held himself as a captain first and foremost. His record as a coach has been exceptional, albeit in T20 cricket.

"There's so much that I'm looking forward to in that respect."

'I did over-bowl Archer' - Root vows to correct previous mistakes

In his first spell as Test captain, Root was accused of over-using Jofra Archer after bowling the seamer for 42 overs in his maiden overseas match in New Zealand in November 2019, preceding a spell of injuries which saw Archer go over four years without playing a Test match between 2021 and 2025.

Root has vowed not to make the same mistake with Archer in his second spell at the Test helm:

"I think at times maybe I did over-bowl him and over-use him. The attack that he works with now complements him really well.

"[Now] there are other people that can potentially play a role that I might have used Jofra for in the past.

"I believe he's a generational talent and someone that is going to have produced wonderful things for England across the formats.

"In Test cricket, he's capable of doing some wonderful things. Clearly, as I said, I didn't get everything right the first time around.

"I made mistakes, but he's going to be a really important factor in what we do moving forward. I'm very excited to work with him again."

Root also candidly admitted the weight of his first spell as Test captain on his decision, but cited it as a key factor in improving his decision-making as an older and wiser player.

"I think the hardest thing for me will be people's opinion of how I captained four years ago. I think it's very important to remember, and for me to remember more than anything, I'm a completely different player from what I was four years ago.

"As a player, I've always looked to evolve and move my game forward. I don't see this as any different. You've got to learn.

"When you make mistakes and when you get things wrong, you look at yourself and you know you don't want to make that mistake again. You learn from it and you deal with it for the next time around.

"That shouldn't be a hindrance. I hope people don't see it like that. I hope they see it as a massive upside to getting the chance to do it again."

England vs Pakistan Test series fixtures

First Test (Headingley) - Wednesday August 19 - Sunday August 23 (first ball 11am)

Second Test (Lord's) - Thursday August 27 - Monday August 31 (first ball 11am)

Third Test (Edgbaston) - Wednesday September 9 - Sunday September 13 (first ball 11am)

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