Josh Tongue says straight-talking England captain Joe Root has left his players in no doubt about the standards of behaviour he expects as they look to shore up their image.
Root cut a disgruntled figure on Tuesday as he dealt with the fallout from the latest alcohol-related incident to affect the team, describing himself as “hacked off” by the episode that saw seamer Brydon Carse briefly arrested outside a Derby nightspot on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly.
He also revealed he had led ‘robust’ conversations with the squad ahead of Thursday’s second Rothesay Test against Pakistan, setting out his stall having returned as skipper just a couple of weeks ago.
And Tongue admits the message has been heard loud and clear after a 10-month period that has been punctuated by unwanted headlines about off-field conduct.
“We had a chat before training yesterday as Joe said. It was a very good conversation and he made it clear what he expects from us,” he said.
“He’s been around the England dressing room for plenty of years now, he knows what it takes to be the top professional and I think we’ve just got to do the best we can moving forward.
“I think we’ve just got to make sure we’re as professional as we can be. Obviously things have happened and we need to try and move on from them to show all the youngsters growing up wanting to play for England that it’s an amazing place to be.
“Playing for England is obviously a privilege. We want to give the next generation the best place that they can be really.”
