Graham Thorpe to be AXED for booze shame as it emerges police were called to Hobart hotel

Graham Thorpe’s position as England assistant coach looks untenable after police were called to the team hotel in Hobart because he was smoking a cigar inside the premises during a drinking session that lasted until 6am.  

The ECB launched an investigation after footage taken by Thorpe of Tasmanian police telling five Ashes stars — including Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson — to go to bed following a complaint about ‘intoxicated people’ ended up on the Sydney Morning Herald website.

England quickly issued an apology ‘for any inconvenience caused’, and said the management at the Crowne Plaza Hobart had received a noise complaint from a member of the public, prompting hotel staff to contact police.

Graham Thorpe’s (left) position as England assistant coach looks untenable after police were called to the team hotel in Hobart because he was smoking a cigar inside the premises 

Sportsmail understands, however, that the police were called because Thorpe had broken the law by smoking indoors. It is highly unlikely the 52-year-old will keep his job.

The ECB were already furious that Thorpe had chosen to film the incident, which took place early on Monday morning, eight hours after the end of the fifth and final Test at Hobart. Footage shows Root, Anderson and three Australian players — Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey and Travis Head — being told to move from the terrace of the hotel the two teams had been sharing.

And they were even angrier that the film reached the public domain, not long after revelations emerged that a disastrous Ashes tour had been hit by a drinking culture involving players and backroom staff alike.

Footage emerged of Tasmanian police telling five Ashes stars to go to bed following a complaint about ‘intoxicated people’

Australia and England’s cricket stars were kicked out of a rooftop bar by police (pic left: Nathan Lyon, pic right: Joe Root)

In the video, one of four officers on the scene can be heard telling the cricketers: ‘Too loud. You have been asked to pack up, so we’ve been asked to come. Time for bed. Thank you. They just want to pack up.’ No further action was taken.

As the players move quietly away from a table full of half-drunk beer bottles, Thorpe provides his own commentary: ‘We’ve got Nathan Lyon, Joe Root, Alex Carey, Jimmy Anderson. Just video this, just for the lawyers. Say good morning, everyone.’

The reaction among England’s players on their final night in Hobart was of disbelief that Thorpe chose to film the incident. It is understood his coaching methods have not been well received by the batsmen on this tour, with England failing to reach 300 in an Ashes series for the first time since 1958-59.

England suffered a 4-0 defeat in the Ashes and the investigation is well underway 

The incident could not have come at a worse time for the ECB. Chief executive Tom Harrison was already unimpressed by what he found during his three weeks in Australia, with questionable levels of fitness, poor communication between management and players, accusations of fat-shaming, and claims of excessive drinking adding up to a loss of confidence in head coach Chris Silverwood.

On this occasion, it is understood players from both sides shared drinks in the Bellerive Oval dressing rooms until around 2.30am on Monday. Once they returned to the Crowne Plaza, some players — and Thorpe — carried on drinking on the fourth-floor terrace until the police arrived at 6am.

The ECB said they would ‘investigate further’, and ‘until such times, make no further comment’.