Australia and England members fail to meet up for a post-series drink after a tense Ashes series - Reports 

The traditional post-Ashes series drink between the Australian and English squad was not witnessed at The Oval after a rather high-octane affair that ultimately ended in a drawn 2-2 result.

According to an Australian spokesperson, the England squad reportedly locked their dressing room after the post-match presentation, leaving the visiting contingent absolutely stumped. The source further stated that the door was knocked on several times and the Aussie squad members waited for over an hour.

On the other hand, the English camp maintain that the post-series drink was not conducted solely due to a misunderstanding. An England spokesperson claimed that the hosts went in search of their Australian counterparts, but were shocked after finding out that they already left the premises.

The England spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald:

“After the media commitments at the end of the Test, both teams had their families and friends celebrating and reminiscing in the respective dressing rooms. That lasted quite a long period. We then did our end-of-Test wrap-up, which included a number of presentations to our retired players and staff."

“After the formal proceedings we were going to invite Australia in for a drink and they had left. I’m not sure what the exact time was, but it was around 10.30 pm, 10.40 pm. There was no indication to say they had gone. It’s a great shame that a drink wasn’t shared and the opportunity of looking back on an epic series,” the spokesperson added.

The events transpired only a short time after England captain Ben Stokes spoke about the amicable relationship between the two sides during the post-Ashes series presentation.

The ace all-rounder had credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as franchise cricket in general for the camaraderie with members from the opposite side.

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Brendon McCullum's wild foreshadowing after the second Ashes Test becomes a reality

Tempers were flaring after Alex Carey's controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow which eventually led to an Australian win at Lord's. Back then, England head coach Brendon McCullum had expressed his frustration over the Australian camp and had said:

“I can’t imagine we’ll be having a beer with them any time soon."

The head coach walked back on his comments by stating:

“It’s a lovely line for the narrative, isn’t it? In the end, we’re all going to sit down and have a beer, aren’t we? It was just a little bit of banter at the end there.”

While the former New Zealand captain ended up revoking the statement, his initial comments after the second Ashes Test is what ended up being the case.

The two sides had shared quite a good time at The Oval after the culmination of the 2019 Ashes. However, the 2023 series ended up being one of the most competitive series in recent times and despite warm words and smiles, there still might be animosity over several controversial moments that unfolded.

Will England and Australia call for a truce or will this just be the start of something even bigger? Let us know what you think.