An emotional Ben Stokes has defended the England team after a social media video said to feature Ben Duckett at Noosa, was the latest crisis to hit their disastrous Ashes tour.
The captain said the mental health of the English players was his top priority.
Stokes added he knew how they would be feeling, given the media storm he weathered nearly a decade ago. He was found not guilty of affray following a 2017 fight near a Bristol nightclub.
The video, which the ECB is investigating, was circulated on Tuesday night – hours after England cricket boss Rob Key said they would look into  claims of excessive drinking during their mid-tour break in Noosa.
England are 3-0 down heading into the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, their Ashes hopes dashed.
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Stokes said they have plenty still to play for and are determined to win the last two Tests, but his immediate priority on Wednesday was looking after teammates’ welfare.
“How I handle this moment right now is the most important thing to me,” Stokes said at his pre-game media conference.
“The welfare of everyone in there, and probably some certain individuals, is the most important thing to me right now as England captain.
“This kind of stuff is very – I don’t know if ‘close to me’ is the right wording – but something I have first-hand experience of how it can affect people.
“My role as England captain is to protect my players as much as I possibly can.”
After speaking in general terms for several minutes about the current issues, Stokes was asked whether he thought they had done anything wrong in Noosa.
“I’ve just answered everything there,” he said.
England trained at the MCG on Wednesday afternoon and were to announce their team afterwards, with speculation there will be at least a couple of changes.
“We have a goal still to try and achieve out here on this trip – it’s not gone anywhere near to plan, whatsoever,” Stokes said.
“Right here, right now, that is my main job as England captain – to ensure that they know they have my backing.
“It’s never a nice place to be in, when not only the media world, but also the social media world, is just piling on top of you.
“I’m the captain of the side and I’m very, very determined to go out win the remaining two games and making sure our focus is more towards that than some of the other stuff that’s going on right now.”
Asked if the players will be ready on Thursday, Stokes replied: “that’s where the certain skill of leadership comes to be most important.
“We need to make sure that we come together and make sure the focus is still heavily on the cricket – we still have a helluva lot to play for.
“I’m very determined to leave Australia with something positive to look back on.”
Stokes was asked if the constant criticism of England’s performance is justified.
“When you’re 3-0 down and you’ve lost the series, everything you say, everything you do gets scrutinised … and rightly so,” he said.
“You don’t really have a leg to stand on.
The video is yet to be verified, but has been widely circulated.
It appears to have been filmed before last week’s Adelaide Test, with a reference to England being down 2-0 in the series.
The footage shows a man, identified in the video as Duckett, who is slurring his words and does not know the directions to where he is staying. The location is apparently in Noosa.
Earlier on Tuesday, Key had spoken to English journalists and said the team’s drinking habits would be investigated, following reports their mid-Ashes beach break resembled a “stag do”.
The squad visited Noosa between the second and third Tests.
Key, who did not join the group in Noosa, has said he would not be happy if he found evidence of over-indulging.
In response to the video posted on Tuesday night, an England and Wales Cricket Board spokesperson said: “We are aware of content circulating on social media.
“We have high expectations for behaviour, accepting that players are often under intense levels of scrutiny, with established processes that we follow when conduct falls below expectations. We also support players that need assistance.
“We will not comment further at this stage while we establish the facts.”
