After police were called to break up an early-morning drinking session at the team hotel, the England and Wales Cricket Board will investigate.
Players and staff from England and Australia gathered at the tourists’ Hobart base to mark the end of the Ashes.
The video shows England captain Joe Root, bowler James Anderson, and Australia’s Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey, and Travis Head being asked to disperse by police.
A spokesperson for the ECB apologized for any inconvenience caused by the England party.
According to Australian custom, the local police responded to a noise complaint lodged by a hotel guest.
The players and management returned to their respective hotel rooms after being asked to leave by hotel management and the Tasmanian police.
“A further investigation will be conducted by the ECB. We will not make any further comments until then.”
The investigation will focus not only on the incident itself, but also on how the video of the police intervention made its way into the public domain. Four officers were seen ordering Root, Anderson, Head, Carey and Lyon, who were sat around a table adorned with beer bottles, to disperse from a roof terrace.
The video was shot by England assistant coach Graham Thorpe, who is heard naming players and saying, “I’m videoing this for the lawyers.”. When head coach Chris Silverwood was isolated after testing positive for Covid-19, Thorpe took charge of England during the drawn fourth Test in Sydney.
After England lost 4-0 in the series, it put pressure on England’s coaching team.
Earlier that day, a newspaper report suggested a drinking culture developed on the tour among England staff and players, exacerbated by Covid restrictions placed on the tourists.
After 06:00 local time, Tasmanian police responded to a report of “intoxicated people” at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Hobart. Nothing further was done, they said.
