Sydney: Australia’s captain Steve Smith defended his team-mates on Friday after two of them were caught on camera smoking during celebrations for their recent Ashes victory over England. Local newspaper The Daily Telegraph published photos of Shaun Marsh and Jackson Bird lighting up on Thursday during a reportedly 10-hour party at a Sydney beachside pub, a day after the team had wrapped up their 4-0 series win. “The boys were just there, trying to have a good time, trying to celebrate what’s been a great couple of months,” Smith told local broadcaster Channel 9.
“That’s part of playing cricket for your country and winning big series — you need to celebrate your success.
“Those kinds of things coming out aren’t ideal, but you can’t do much about it.”
The images prompted a strong reaction from health experts in the country, including anti-smoking advocates.
Quit Victoria director Sarah White told Melbourne radio station 3AW the players caught smoking showed “really poor judgment and really poor role modelling.”
“In this day and age, why would elite sportsmen (a) still be smoking, and (b) be doing so in a public space when children around Australia... seek to emulate them?”
The modern social stance is far removed from the 1980s when cigarette brand Benson & Hedges spent tens of millions of dollars for naming rights sponsorships of tournaments including that of the 1992 World Cup.
The practice ended in Australia in 1996 when the federal government banned tobacco advertising at sporting events. The ban became law in England six years later. — dpa
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