England impose fresh ban on Harry Brook, Joe Root & others - Here's why

Published - 13 Mar 2026, 11:53 AM | Updated - 13 Mar 2026, 11:56 AM

England players banned by ECB. Image Credit: X

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A fresh storm has hit the England National Cricket Team just months after their painful defeat in the famous Ashes in Australia. In a shocking move, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reportedly banned all players who were part of the last Ashes tour from media talks.

The ECB decision has come at a time when questions are already being raised about England’s poor Ashes tour of Australia and the future of the team’s leadership. With several controversies making headlines, the board is now trying to control the situation before the new season begins.

Counties asked to cancel England player interviews by ECB

As reported by the iPaper, the ECB informed all the county teams to cancel all interviews that had already been planned with players who were part of the Ashes squad. This means several well-known England stars will not speak publicly until they return to national duty.

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In the coming weeks, all 18 county teams will organize their usual pre-season media days. Earlier, around 11 players from the Ashes squad who are not playing in the IPL 2026 were expected to attend these events and speak to reporters and TV channels.

But after the ECB's latest decision, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Mark Wood, and Shoaib Bashir will be ordered not to show up to the media before joining the England squad for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord's Cricket Ground in June.

Big press meet planned by ECB chiefs

The board is also not keen for players to speak to the media before a big press conference planned later this month. The ECB CEO Richard Gould and England’s managing director Rob Key are expected to talk about what went wrong during the Ashes in that press meet.

It was an attempt to “control the message." The ECB source said, "They are our players, so they’ll speak when on England duty.”

Recently, a planned interview with Shoaib Bashir was suddenly cancelled. The young spinner didn’t get a game during the Ashes tour and later moved to Derbyshire in hopes of restarting his career.

Board takes strict control of communication

This order has also raised eyebrows because county teams usually allow their biggest stars to speak during preseason media events. These interviews help create excitement before the domestic season begins. But this year, the ECB has taken strict control of communication.

The move is believed to be linked to the upcoming review of England’s Ashes disaster. They suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat in the Ashes against Australia and faced heavy criticism about team preparation and off-field issues. Questions have also been raised about the future of head coach Brendon McCullum.

Despite the criticism, it is being said that McCullum is likely to continue in his role for now. Senior officials, including Richard Gould and Rob Key are expected to address the media later this month and explain the situation around the team and the Ashes review. Recently, England made it to the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals, and that would help the coach’s case.