# England lift midnight curfew as Stokes retirement nears, Root confirms 2026-08-13T11:27:20+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet England have scrapped the midnight curfew imposed on players after the Ashes defeat in Australia, Joe Root has confirmed. The policy was introduced following a nightclub controversy involving Harry Brook Down Under, but came under scrutiny when Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were spotted at a London nightclub after a Test win at Lord's, during which an ECB staff member was injured and needed stitches. Root said the team management has now lifted the restriction. ## Coverage - indiatvnews.com Tags: Ashes controversy, Ben Stokes, curfew, ECB, England cricket Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/england-lift-midnight-curfew-as-stokes-retirement-nears-root-confirms/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/england-lift-midnight-curfew-as-stokes-retirement-nears-root-confirms/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.