I understood that they were involved, do we know if they received any punishments?

Yes but that's just speculation, it may well be the case but it has yet to be confirmes - or even alleged.
And Nixon is hardly a child being led on like it has been alleged.

We did know yesterday that part of the England management were involved, what has been their fate - have they been slapped on the wrist like Plunkett, Bell, Anderson, Lewis?.

Should coaches not set the same examples as vice captains?.

__________________
Ern

I read in the papers the rumour regarding the manjagment and their alleged presence at this binge.

Really Freddy hasn't got a leg to stand to here. Post ashes is forgivable because that was 1) after a win and 2) after the tournament had finished (there were no odi after but then thats on my memory!)

Here freddy was boozing 1) after an ignominious loss (he took no wickets and got a duck so personal performance was poor) and 2 hours before a must win game with other more (or less) impresionable members of the squad.

if we win the world cup he can go on the lash if he wants (as long as it's in private and the victory parade is a week later, or preferabbly after the victory parade.)

The David Boon days of alcohol fuelled cricket are over. Like the French say 'consummer avec moderation'

Flintoff's crime wasn't getting caught,but deing drunk in charge of a pedalo.( if it wasn't so sad it would be funny)

__________________
I have a dream.... (Martin Luther King)

Ok now. The answer here is clearly that he got caught. That is the crime.

If the EWCB (and Nasser Hussain) are to be believed then this is the third or fourth time during the tours this winter that Flintoff has been warned about his conduct.

This is an astonishing piece of news.

Almost without fail, if an England (strike that - INTERNATIONAL) player is spotted doing something "untoward" and out of hours, first the media and then their governing body spread it all over the networks.

If Freddie managed to get hammered in Australia and only the EWCB knew about it, then he did a fantastic job of hiding his tracks.

Did anyone hear about any of those binges before yesterday?

And consequently Flintoff received no more than a warning.

On Friday night/Saturday morning Flintoff was caught, red handed (or eyed). Big mistake, and bye-bye to the captaincy.


Reading between the lines of all this, it is not such an implausible leap of faith to imagine that Flintoff's boozing had something to do with the Flintoff/Fletcher falling out around the third Test and the eventual dropping of Jones the 6o11ock5.

Now: "Fletcher - I take it all back - you are without doubt the finest coach to have ever drawn breath. Now please resign and let someone slightly less narrow-minded have a go" says I.

But with regard to a stand-in for Vaughan should his knee give way - NOT COLLINGWOOD.
The answer is still Andrew Strauss. I know that I have said that he is NOT a one day player (nor is Vaughan) but he is in the squad, and unless we finally go for the modern option of sticking someone in to open who will freely clout the ball all over the park, then we're going to need a replacement opener.

Strauss is certainly that man. And on a fielding scale of Vaughan to ten Strauss certainly scores ten.

__________________
Red-it, Red-it, Read it and wept

I think perhaps you'd better re-read the articles at the time, regarding the British swimmers.

As I understood it, there was something of a party culture revolving around the British team, and consequently most of the swimmers failed to make much progress.

__________________
Red-it, Red-it, Read it and wept

Sadly for you Oliver, Collingwood would seem to be working his way in with a string of fine performances and intelligent cricket. I will eat my hat if he is not considered but if he is then I shall gloat, which I regard as entirely fair game either way.

Yes, sadly they were swimming against the tide.

__________________
I'll have the Mouseburger please, with a side of Goldfish.

You may want to cast your mind back a few years - Shane Warne was Australia's Vice Captain and would have gone on to become the next Captain after Steve Waugh.

He was consistantly getting into trouble off the field, and was being warned on several occassions by the ACB. Then with one to many times the ACB stripped him of his Vice Captains position.

When the antics of your players appear in the paper time and time again and the warnings by management go unchecked by that player then serious action needs to be implemented - Stripping of the Vice Captains position.

Then you can look at a Player such as Ponting - gambler and boozer - His turning point came when he got in the middle of a pub brawl and ended up with a black eye. He then started cleaning up his act and with the role of being number 3 in the team ended up becoming the test Captain over the top of the then Vice Captain Gilchrist.

But since he has been made Captain, Ponting has kept him self out of any trouble - this is the responibility that the Captain and Vice Captain hold.

Well there you go - Flintoff as far as I know is not a gambler - does not get into brawls, not does he desert his country like Gooch did, only to be brought back and he captained England, it makes Flintoffs jaunt in a pedalo look insignificant.

But Cricket Australia had the good sense to forget the past, and concentrate on the future instead.

It's no wonder players get into lumber - Flintoff is far from alone, England have been touring as long as a Football Season, as other teams do also - that needs addressing as well as players behaviour.

UPDATE: Flintoff was never in danger - but a pedalo and water were involved.
Source TMS on Flintoff Press Conference.

__________________
Ern

Too right A-Y, if a player cleans up his act and shows the necessarily character then he should be allowed to come back into the frame with regards to the leadership positions.

I would say that Freddie, if he demonstrates that he has moved on, should be given another shot at captaining the side, but only if he can sure the character traits that will prove he has changed.

All I will add is this, he is not just a cricketer he is a husband and father, those a much bigger roles, and if he carries on like a immature young man, those positions are also in danger. I am certain that Rachel Flintoff, who has done so much to get him on the straight and narrow, will not be best please by his antics.