England stars Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith and Mark Wood off the hook after pictured riding e-scooters without helmets
Several England cricket stars including captain Ben Stokes have been snapped breaking road rules in Brisbane – but it seems police are unlikely to take any action.
English cricketers have been caught riding through Brisbane on e-scooters without wearing helmets.
But it seems Queensland Police won’t be taking any action.
Some players, including captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Mark Wood, have been using Lime e-scooters to see the city and appear to ignore the helmet rule.
Queensland Sport Minister Tim Mander took a dig at the misbehaving trio on Tuesday.
“What the Pommy cricketers did was very irresponsible, but it has helped us with a new road safety campaign,” he said.
“Don’t be silly like the Pommy cricketers, wear your helmet.”
Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg, who has faced calls to tighten e-bike and e-scooter laws, joined in with a pun-laden rebuke.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
But police said they had “engaged with those persons to inform and educate them on compliance requirements associated with E-mobility devices in Queensland”.
“The QPS continues to actively engage with communities across the state to promote safe practices, educate users on compliance requirements, and enforce road rules when appropriate to reduce the risks posed by unsafe and non-compliant use associated with E-mobility devices, including E-bikes, personal mobility devices (PMDs) or e-scooters, and electric motorbikes,” a spokesperson said.
England batter Ollie Pope conceded the players involved should have abided by the rules.
“Just put a helmet on next time I guess. Rules are rules I guess. No other comment from me,” Pope said before his side trained at the Gabba on Tuesday.
Section 256A (1) of Queensland’s Road Rules says riders without a helmet can face fines of up to $166.
The last English cricketer to incur the wrath of Australian police was batsman Kevin Pietersen who was fined $239 for speeding in a Lamborghini outside Melbourne.
Some English teams in Australia have been renowned for retreating to their hotels and seeking their own company when things turn sour but Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have encouraged them to enjoy the tour and they have been exploring Brisbane.
McCullum, who formerly played for the Brisbane Heat, went to the races in Brisbane on Saturday.
England, beaten in two days in the first Test in Perth, will train this afternoon at the Gabba with Australia to follow them in a night session.
Australia will have their main session and then decide on their XI with most focus on opener Usman Khawaja, who had back spasms in Perth.
Khawaja batted in the nets on Monday and, while occasionally appearing to wince after playing some shots, looked better than he did in Perth.
With speedster Wood out of the team England face a difficult decision who to call up.
Fast man Josh Tongue, all-rounder Will Jacks and spinner Shoaib Bashir are all in contention.
Tongue could be the man on a greenish Gabba deck which could suit his 145km/h pace.
Originally published as England stars Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith and Mark Wood off the hook after pictured riding e-scooters without helmets
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