- England’s Test stars will meet up on Sunday to prepare to take on Zimbabwe
- Players have been warned by their bosses to avoid talking and posting about golf
England’s cricketers have been told by their bosses to stop talking about golf ahead of meeting up on Sunday to prepare for the Test against Zimbabwe later this month.
Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of cricket, has also asked them to refrain from posting about it on social media.
The directive follows criticism last winter that the limited-overs team placed greater emphasis on playing 18 holes than addressing their struggles against spin in India.
Key is concerned the hard work behind the relaxed environment head coach Brendon McCullum has created is in danger of being overlooked.
England’s Test squad have used golf for team-bonding and it features heavily on winter tours.
England cricketer Joe Root pictured teeing off in golf’s ‘Hickory Challenge’ prior to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Old Course St. Andrews in September 2022
All-rounder Ben Stokes took part in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth in 2019
ECB director of cricket Rob Key has told England’s players not to talk about golf on social media
It has coincided with England recovering from a sixth place Test ranking three years ago, when they held their worst rating since 1995, to second and challenging for top spot in series against India and Australia later this year.
But 10 defeats in 11 limited-overs matches last winter coincided with former players like Kevin Pietersen suggesting they should be spending more time in the nets than on the golf course.
England rubbished the claims they had not practised enough at the time, but Key has chosen the start of a new home season to air his concerns about the wrong cultural image developing.
Writing to all current full internationals, he advised them to refrain from referring to golf during media interactions, focusing purely on cricket issues instead.
England’s players have also came under scrutiny in recent months for using ‘don’t care’ phraseology in post-match interviews.
During last September’s one-day matches against Australia, Harry Brook said: ‘If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field, then who cares?’ Then, Ben Duckett drew criticism for trying to put England’s position on the tour of India into context by saying: ‘This is a massive series but the Champions Trophy is the big competition. If we lose 3-0 to India, I don’t care as long as we beat them in the final of the Champions Trophy.’
However, injured fast bowler Mark Wood hit back last month, telling the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: ‘One thing that does bother me is this narrative of “golf, golf, golf,” I don’t play golf. I don’t like it. It’s not a game for me. I know the lads enjoy it and that’s their time off. At times it’s as if the golf is more important, and that is not true at all.
‘I cannot stress enough that when we’re at training, especially under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, we train hard.
‘The lads don’t take it for granted that we play for England. This narrative of “oh, well, we’ll play golf, this is the best gig in the world”, I can understand people’s frustration with it, but I’m telling you, people genuinely care and work hard.
‘I’m there to win for England. That’s what makes me feel uncomfortable, this narrative that we don’t care. It hurts when we get beat.’
Ironically, two of Englands’s recent call-ups – Somerset duo Tom Banton and James Rew – are both single figure handicap golfers. Banton posted a photograph of himself on Instagram last month after recording an albatross at the Minehead & West Somerset club, hours after hitting a triple hundred against Worcestershire.
