Head hopes to revive Ashes drinks tradition with Eng; why it broke down in 2023
Australian opener Travis Head expressed his hope for a return to the tradition of post-Ashes drinks between England and Australia. He believes mutual respect exists despite past tensions, particularly after the Jonny Bairstow stumping incident in the 2023 series. Head looks forward to sharing a beer, highlighting the positive relationships between players on both sides.
A row of beers is seen during day two of the Second 2025/26 Ashes Series Test Match between Australia and England at The Gabba on December 05, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo/Getty Images)
Australia opener Travis Head said he hopes England and Australia will return to their tradition of sharing a drink after the Ashes, a practice that was disrupted during the 2023 series due to strained relations between the teams.Australia lead the current five-Test series 3-1 and have already sealed the contest, marking their fifth straight Ashes series win and their continued possession of the urn.
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Tensions between the sides escalated during the second Test of the 2023 Ashes in England after Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow. Bairstow had stepped out of his crease while ducking a delivery from Cameron Green, leading to a run-out that sparked debate around the "spirit of cricket".Head said he was looking forward to the chance of post-series drinks at the Sydney Cricket Ground and felt both teams had played the game fairly."There’s definitely mutual respect," he said in comments published by The Australian newspaper on Wednesday."I get along with a couple of them really well.""There’s some really good relationships with both teams. I’m looking forward to having a beer with Ducky (Ben Duckett).
So, yeah, it’d be a nice moment. It’s obviously nice going there knowing that we’ve won the series."Australia retained the urn with their win in the third Test in Adelaide, giving them a 3-1 lead.During the 2023 series, relations worsened further after Australia players were abused by England supporters in the Long Room at Lord’s following the Bairstow incident. England head coach Brendon McCullum later told the BBC he could not imagine his side meeting the Australians for drinks at that point.After England won the final Test at The Oval by 49 runs to level that series 2-2, McCullum said England would meet Australia for a drink. That meeting did not take place, leading to criticism of England in sections of the Australian media.England captain Ben Stokes later denied that his team had snubbed Australia, saying in a social media post that England’s post-series events at The Oval took longer than expected due to farewells involving players and staff.The fifth Test of the current series begins in Sydney on January 4.