Both England’s management and the usually merciless UK press have had measured responses to photos of Stuart Broad and Kevin Pietersen in an Adelaide bar in the early hours of Monday morning.
KP, Broad get England's OK
The pair, and reserve wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow, were photographed at Zhivago, and Adelaide bar, by England fans, with local newspaper The Advertiser running the story on their front page.
England management, however, took no issue with the movements of their players.
“They are free to do as they please,” said an English spokeswoman. “They are grown men.”
In England, tabloid The Sun ran the story under the headline: ‘England cool on KP and co’s late night’, writing: “The players happily posed for photographs with fans and signed autographs. There was no suggestion they were drunk.
“An England spokesman added: ‘Most of the players had a day-off on Monday and there were no problems with them unwinding at the start of a busy Test match week. The players interacted well with the supporters and some of them returned to the hotel much earlier than 3am’.”
Pietersen remains a prized wicket for Australia, averaging 129 in Adelaide, with two centuries from his two Ashes Test at the ground, while Broad was England’s best player in the series opener at the Gabba.