Australian star Travis Head has come to the defence of his Ashes rivals, including Ben Duckett, following criticism of their mid-series Noosa trip.
After going down 2-0 in the series, England opted to spend time at the popular holiday spot in an attempt to reset with the campaign still in the balance.
The visitors would then lose the third Test and the series as a result, prompting an investigation into their conduct in Noosa from the ECB.
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While there had been some criticism surrounding the decision to allow players to have some time to unwind, others including former England captain Michael Vaughan had taken the side of the players, despite their dismal on-field performances.
England copped criticism for their Noosa holiday Getty
“I am not going to criticise England for what they got up to in Noosa. I criticise what they do on the cricket field, the way they play and the way they prepare to play cricket,” he wrote for the UK Telegraph prior to the Boxing Day Test.
“I am not going to point the finger at a group of young people who have had a few beers on a couple of days off. I did exactly the same as them when I played for England.”
Head was of a similar belief when quizzed about the issue on Sunday morning following his side’s two-day defeat at the hands of England on a controversial MCG pitch.
“I’m jealous,” the Aussie batter said with a laugh.
“Everyone else has made a lot more out of it than I think it should have been. We’ve done the same thing on past tours, so I didn’t have an issue with it.”
The dynamic left-hander, who has scored two centuries at crucial times during the Ashes series, was also asked about a viral video of an inebriated Duckett.
Head said it was disappointing to see the video shared online and revealed he spoke to the England opener before the Boxing Day fixture.
Travis Head has defended Ben Duckett Nine
“It was from one of his own as well … it was an English fan, which is a bit stiff,” he said.
“I get along with Ducky well and reached out to him to see if he was going all right.
“Everyone is still human and what you do in your personal time is up to you. I know we live a high-profile life and some people are more high-profile than others and get themselves in situations, but at the end of the day it’s a bit stiff.
“I don’t think there’s been any real issue since that and it’s something to talk about.
“When there’s big gaps in Tests, we’ve got to find something to talk about, so hopefully we can play a bit longer next week [in Sydney] and there’s less stuff to talk about.”
Australia have already retained the urn and now lead 3-1 in the series with one Test remaining, which kicks off next Sunday at the SCG.