England coach fires up over "stag do" claims and drinking culture

England coach Brendon McCullum has fired back at media suggestions that his side has a drinking problem.

The squad’s issues with alcohol came to the fore during their failed Ashes series down under this summer, with their highly publicised Noosa trip getting headlines as players were often seen drinking.

That only compounded once reports emerged that star batter Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a bouncer during a white-ball series in New Zealand ahead of the Aussie tour.

That news reemerged this week after it was brought to light that teammates were with Brook during that incident, after it was initially thought he was alone.

Clearly, McCullum was fed up when questioned on the drinking culture topic again by the media after England’s 3-0 T20 series win over Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

"It seems like we keep going on and on and on about it," McCullum said.

"I think these guys, they know that they've made a mistake and they've put their hand up.

"Harry was trying to look after his mates and, in the end, people say what they want, but our job is to look after him.

"Our job is to make sure we support these guys and I think sometimes the criticism can go too far.

"When we're made aware of things that haven't gone right, we discipline them, we have a stern word and deal with things internally.

"To be honest, I find it quite annoying that we keep going on and on about it because these are young men who are under immense pressure that have put their hands up, been disciplined for it, and piling onto them is not helpful for anyone."

While Brook’s leadership came into question after the incident, McCullum has absolutely no concerns about the No. 5’s actions.

He also defended the side’s trip to Noosa in between Test losses in Brisbane and Adelaide, hitting back at suggestions the trip was like a ‘stag do’.

"I think Harry Brook is an outstanding leader on the field. His tactical acumen is as good as I've seen in a short period of time from a young man," he said.

"He has work to do off the field without a doubt, as do some of the other young lads we have in our side, and that's what happens when you come in at 20 and you're growing up on a world stage with spotlight, fame, fortune and the pressure that comes with it.

"People will say he's not that clever; I couldn't disagree with that more. He wears his intelligence lightly and he's a very strong leader.

"Cricket is 12 months a year, you have to be able to enjoy yourselves. I don't think the boys went overboard at all.

"A lot of the pile-on for it was completely out of line. Noosa is where people go and retire. There's a reason why we chose Noosa.

"It's being made as this big stag do place; it couldn't be further from that. If we wanted a stag do and we wanted a tear-up, we'd have gone to the Gold Coast."

Responding to suggestions that he has given too much power to players and runs a ‘loose ship’, McCullum says that couldn’t be further from the truth as he strives for what’s best in English cricket.

"I think you guys (media) have got to work me out a little bit better, to be honest," he said.

"If you go back to the day I walked into the job, the first thing I said to these boys is don't do anything that lands you on the front page of the paper and nothing good happens after midnight, but we're going to have a good time.

"We're going to grow, we're going to enjoy ourselves, cricket is a tough game, it has its challenges mentally, which we've seen with many people that have played cricket in the past, but we're going to try and play a style of cricket that allows us to succeed.

"(Saying I let the players do what they want) couldn't be further from the truth... I'm fiercely determined, I'm fiercely competitive and I want the best for these guys, and I want the best for English cricket."

England next gear up for the T20 World Cup with their first game coming against Nepal on Sunday in Mumbai.