Gough – Beers are the best way to tour

Darren Gough has come out in support of the England players at the centre of Booze-gate. “I’m not going to criticise Feddie Flintoff,” he says. “Going for a drink with your team-mates is one of the realeas which allow you to cope with life on the road.” He does, however, concede that the timing of events was not spectacular.

But he believes, like Ian Botham, that the biggest mistake England made was actually getting caught. And he has these words of advice for the side: “They were wrong to go out in public, where fans who have paid thousands of pounds to travel to the Caribbean were understandably upset to see players out on the town. Next time they will probably stick to the hotel bar.” So that’s all right, then.

Just to further explode any myth, he added: “If you think cricketers retire to their rooms at 9pm with a cup or cocoa you’re on another planet.”