Former England spin-king Monty Panesar has staunchly defended Joe Root's side after a viral video emerged of some players being kicked out of a rooftop bar in Hobart, insisting their professionalism should not be questioned.
England coach Graham Thorpe could lose his job after he filmed Root and James Anderson drinking with Australian players who had just thrashed them in the Ashes, with police ordering them to leave the bar after 'loudly' drinking until 6am.
A heavy booze culture has also been revealed on the tour Down Under yet Panesar - who was fined after he urinated on a bouncer following his ejection from a Brighton nightclub in 2013 - said the public should remember what cricketers have done for them in terms of entertainment during the pandemic before judging their actions.
Astonishing footage captured the moment Australia and England's cricket stars were kicked out of a rooftop bar by police (pic left: Nathan Lyon, pic right: Joe Root)
Former England spin-king Monty Panesar has staunchly defended Joe Root's side
Man of the series Travis Head was also amongst the crowd, in footage filmed by England's assistant coach
'I think there's too much pressure on sportspeople - let's not forget that they went out for us in the last 18 months, we were all in a Covid bubble and we wanted some entertainment on TV, they went out there and did that,' Panesar told Sportsmail.
'So let's not forget about the entertainment that they are providing for the normal person who enjoys cricket, and loves cricket, right.
'So if anyone's going to be harsh on them, I'm telling that person "please, take a back seat, think about the last 18 months and what they've gone through, particularly in the first and second lockdown when there was Test cricket being played, think about that before people start questioning the professionalism."
'They've done a lot for people to watch cricket while the public was in lockdown.'
The incident, which was filmed by Thorpe but somehow ended up on the website of the Sydney Morning Herald, took place at 6am on Monday, just over eight hours after the end of the fifth and final Test at Hobart.
It shows Root, Anderson and three Australian players – Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey and Travis Head – being told to move from the terrace of the hotel the two teams have been sharing.
