England captain Ben Stokes, pacer Mark Wood and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith escaped any action following their reckless act of riding on electric two-wheelers without wearing helmets in Brisbane. According to the official Queensland laws, riding without a helmet can attract a fine of 166 Australian dollars; however, the local police have confirmed that England players would not be charged. The official rules of the land state that anyone who wants to ride an E-scooter has to wear a bicycle helmet or a two-wheeler helmet.
The England players opted not to wear helmets despite the gear being available on their E-scooters. The trio might have escaped action, but the Queensland Minister of Sport, Tim Mander, did not hesitate in calling out the stars, labelling them “silly Pommy cricketers.”
“What the Pommy cricketers did was very irresponsible, but it has helped us with a new road safety campaign. Don’t be silly like the Pommy cricketers, wear your helmet,” he said, according to the Indian Express.
The latest act was also called out by Queensland’s Transport Minister, Brent Mickelberg, as he criticised the England stars, urging them to always follow the rules.
“I don’t want to see anyone bowled over on our streets – though judging by recent form, the Poms seem to prefer getting themselves out. We’ve already seen too many fatal and serious e-scooter crashes, and riding without a helmet isn’t just a bad shot – it’s a dangerous one. The rules are there for a reason, no matter who you are – strap on a helmet and stay safe,” he said.
Ollie Pope reacts
England No.3 batter Ollie Pope also reacted to the criticism, urging his teammates to do the needful next time. “Just put a helmet on next time. Rules are rules. I mean, if they want to catch us doing that, then so be it, but it is important to have balance on a long tour like this,” he told reporters.
The pressure is all on England after the visitors lost the opening Ashes Test inside two days. The Stokes-led side have already announced their playing XI with Will Jacks replacing Mark Wood in the playing XI.
On the other hand, Australia have confirmed that Usman Khawaja will miss the second Test due to a back injury. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will also be unavailable.
