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England's captain Ben Stokes, second left, shakes hands with teammate Shoaib Bashir as he leaves the field after losing the first Ashes cricket test match against Australia in Perth, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.(AP Photo/Gary Day)
Ahead of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba, Queensland Minister of Sport Tim Mander has called England captain Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Jamie Smith as ‘silly Pommy cricketers’ after the trio were pictured riding on electric two-wheelers without helmets in Brisbane.
According to Queensland laws, riding without a helmet can lead to a fine of 166 Australian dollars. However, local police confirmed to the media that England players won’t face any action for not following the rules but educated them on compliance requirements about riding E-scooters. As per the rules, anyone who is riding the E-scooters should wear a bicycle helmet or two-wheeler helmet. While most of the E-scooters have helmets attached to them, as in the case of the ones used by the trio, the England players chose to not wear it. When they were pictured using the e-scooters, they had the helmets attached to the front of it.
Although the police let go of them without any action, Mander criticised the England players calling their actions irresponsible. “What the Pommy cricketers did was very irresponsible, but it has helped us with a new road safety campaign. Don’t be silly like the Pommy cricketers, wear your helmet,” he said.
Even Queensland’s Transport Minister, Brent Mickelberg, criticised the England stars. “I don’t want to see anyone bowled over on our streets – though judging by recent form, the Poms seem to prefer getting themselves out. We’ve already seen too many fatal and serious e-scooter crashes, and riding without a helmet isn’t just a bad shot – it’s a dangerous one. The rules are there for a reason, no matter who you are – strap on a helmet and stay safe,” he said.
With the issue blowing hot ahead of the second Test starting on Thursday, England batsman Ollie Pope called on his teammates to wear the helmets and also said the incident won’t stop them from just staying indoors in what will be a long tour.
“Just put a helmet on next time. Rules are rules,” Pope told reporters. “I mean if they want to catch us doing that then so be it but it is important to have balance on a long tour like this.”
Since arriving Down Under for the Ashes, the spotlight has been on England’s approach and it has only increased after they lost the first Test at Perth in two days. “In the days after the Test you’re very aware of (the attention). It was everywhere you went, when the guys were trying to unwind and for us as cricketers and as people I think it’s important to try and be able to switch off and be yourself,” Pope said.
English (US) ·