Steve Finn denies there is a drinking culture in the England squad

Steve Finn insists recent disciplinary lapses are not reflective of a drinking culture in English cricket, claiming that more alcohol was drunk on previous Ashes tours. A number of issues have created unwanted headlines, among them Jonny Bairstow’s ‘headbutt’ on Cameron Bancroft and Lions batsman Ben Duckett’s suspension for an incident with James Anderson that also took place in a Perth bar.

Ben Stokes is waiting to find out if he will be charged for causing actual bodily harm during a late-night fracas in September, which also involved Alex Hales, while Bairstow and Jake Ball were warned over their behaviour during the oneday series against the West Indies in the same month.

Finn’s own Ashes tour was ended by torn knee cartilage - the Middlesex bowler could recover in time to face New Zealand - and he has been watching England surrender a 2-0 series lead during his swifter than expected rehabilitation.

But his time with Joe Root’s squad, j udged against his experience of previous visits Down Under, convinces him that it is unfair to criticise England’s players too harshly.

“I toured away in Australia in 2010-11 when I was a young man and there was a lot of alcohol drunk on that tour,” said Finn, who was speaking at a Chance to Shine and NatWest event.

“There was lots of going out - way, way more than what happens under this current regime.

“For the last two years there’s certainly no underlying culture issue in my opinion and I have been a part of three eras of English cricket now. “When Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower first started, a genuine way of building team rapport and trust was to spend time together like that.

“What’s happened has changed that. It’s bad publicity for cricket, which is bad for us as a sport in general not just this Ashes tour. “Maybe in a couple of situations we’ve not been quite as aware as we could have been, but in the past these things wouldn’t have caused any offence or outrage.

They’re not an irresponsible bunch of guys and the way that they’re being painted sometimes is really unfair on them, because they’re not bad people or troublemakers. “I know they’re good people and I know there’s no malice in anything they’re doing.”

In the early hours of Thursday morning hostilities with Australia resume at the Waca where England have not won since 1978, but Finn refuses to concede the series. “From cold hard facts, it doesn’t look great. But I know the guys in the dressing room believe they can cause an upset in Perth,” Finn said.

“Australia could be overconfident in this situation while England know they’ve had a chance in both games so far and hopefully for the rest of the series they can take those chances.

Meanwhile, Assistant coach Paul Farbrace refused to criticise England’s bowlers despite seeing Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh pile on the runs for Australia on the third day of the third Test at the WACA.

The tourists managed just one wicket all day as Smith and Marsh, with a career-best 229 and 181 respectively, shared an unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 301.

Australia finished the day on 549 for four in reply to England’s 403, leading by 146, and in a strong position to regain the Ashes with two Tests still remaining.

But Farbrace felt England’s bowlers did all they could, telling Sky Sports: “We have had a tough day.

“They played exceptionally well. Smith has played well, as he has done all series. “You can look back at how your bowlers bowl. We think we have worked really hard as a bowling group and toiled away really well.

“We haven’t got the extra pace that the Australians have got and we don’t have magical spin. We have what we have. We knew that coming into the series.

“We knew there were going to be times where it was going to be tough for our bowlers and today has proved to be one of those days. “I thought our body language was pretty good. We stuck at it pretty well. I think watching it from side on, we worked hard and got stuck in.” Australia are now overwhelming favourites to recapture the urn over the next two days.

But Farbrace is confident England can still save the match and keep the series alive. “Until the Test match finishes you have to believe you can get something from it,” he said.

“We came into this game believing we could get something out of it and keep the series alive going into the next game. There is nothing to suggest that we can’t still do that.

“Yes, it is going to be hard but that is what it is. It is Test cricket, tough cricket, and you have got to get stuck in.” Marsh celebrated his recall to the Australia side with a maiden Test century on his home ground.

The 26-year-old feels his hard work away from the international scene has finally come to fruition.