New England Captain Root Scraps Midnight Curfew for Pakistan Tests

Captain Joe Root

Root Removes Restrictions: “We trust players” ahead of Pakistan Tests. No curfew under Root and Fleming as England begin Pakistan series.

Reinstated captain Root ditches curfew amid scrutiny of England culture...

Reinstated as England captain, Joe Root has scrapped the team curfew for next week’s home Test series against Pakistan. The 35-year-old said he trusts the players to act responsibly, even with recent off-field incidents putting the squad’s culture under the spotlight.

Root’s comments come as England’s dressing-room culture faces renewed scrutiny, following a turbulent year under former coach Brendon McCullum and ex-captain Ben Stokes.

Root, England’s all-time leading Test run-scorer, was reinstated as captain in June after Stokes retired during the New Zealand series. That series also saw the all-rounder banned for one Test, along with pacer Gus Atkinson, for breaking a team curfew during a night out in London.

McCullum also left the role after England’s 2-1 series defeat, with former teammate Stephen Fleming taking over as head coach.

“There’s not going to be a curfew. ⁠I don’t think this needs to be a big deal, to be honest,” Root said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast published on Wednesday.

“My view is that if players ‌are expected to take responsibility on the field, they should be trusted as grown adults to make good decisions off it as well.

“That’s something we, as a team, have to manage properly and police ourselves, alongside Stephen Fleming.”

Joe Root has ruled out a curfew under his England Test captaincy ❌ pic.twitter.com/rhRc8sI3HE

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 12, 2026

England’s team culture has been under the microscope since their 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia last year, plus a run of off-field incidents. One of those was Harry Brook’s reported clash with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand.

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said back in January that players would face tighter rules, including a midnight curfew.

England currently sit seventh in the World Test Championship table. Root and Fleming will kick off their new roles with the three-Test series against Pakistan, which begins on August 19th.