Joe Root abandons team curfew after return as England Test captain

Joe Root has confirmed that he has abandoned the midnight curfew in place for the England cricket team after being re-appointed Test captain.

The curfew was brought in after a number of high-profile incidents before and during the Ashes in Australia in the winter as England sought to address their off-field behaviour.

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Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were alleged to have broken the curfew after the first Test against New Zealand earlier this summer and were stood down for the second match of that series for disciplinary reasons – though the Cricket Regulator later found that the parameters and terms of the curfew had not been clearly communicated to the squad.

Root has been reinstalled as skipper after Stokes's retirement, and has taken the decision in consort with new Test head coach Stephen Fleming to abolish the midnight restriction.

"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. "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.

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"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."

The curfew's introduction came after a period that included Harry Brook being involved with a late-night altercation by a nightclub bouncer on the day before he captained England in a one-day international.

Brook, who had served as Stokes' vice-captain, was overlooked as skipper in favour of Root, with Rob Key suggesting it was "too soon" for the younger Yorkshire batter to take on the role.

England begin a three-Test series against Pakistan at Headingley next Wednesday, with opening batter Emilio Gay given a chance to prove his fitness in a warm-up game.

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Gay suffered an injury scare after retiring hurt with a shoulder issue while playing for Durham, but has been named in a 14-man squad for the three-day match against the touring Pakistan side at Beckenham and is expected to be fit for the Test series.

Sussex opener Tom Haines will captain the side, with Shoaib Bashir, James Rew and Matt Fisher hoping to impress having featured in Tests for England this summer.

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