The latest alcohol-fuelled transgression to cloud England's crisis-hit Ashes tour is likely to have far bigger ramifications than the imposition of any curfew.

Team management and top brass at the England & Wales Cricket Board in London have been left livid by the incident in Perth's Avenue bar in the early hours of Friday morning that is believed to have seen Ben Duckett pour a drink over the head of James Anderson following an argument between the pair.

QUICK SINGLE England hit by new discipline controversy

Duckett is not part of the main Ashes touring party but was commandeered from the England Lions squad to play in this weekend's two-day warm-up match against a Cricket Australia at Richardson Park in Perth.

The 23-year-old, who played four Tests at the end of last year, has been suspended pending the outcome of a disciplinary inquiry that has been elevated right up to Tom Harrison, the ECB's chief executive back in London.

Anderson has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident, which took place in the same bar in the Claremont area of Perth where Jonny Bairstow head-butted Australia's Cameron Bancroft on the first night of England's tour on October 29.

Day one highlights: CA XI v England

Details of that incident emerged during the latter stages of the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane, causing the ECB to impose a midnight curfew on players for the remainder of the tour.

It was deemed necessary despite the fact Bairstow didn't actually do all that much wrong – Bancroft agreeing there was no malice in the England wicketkeeper's "weird" greeting.

But the ongoing fallout from the Ben Stokes incident in late September, when the star allrounder was arrested after a late-night brawl in Bristol and stood down from the Ashes until a decision over whether he will be charged or not is made, has made the ECB extra cautious over issues of player behaviour.

England's curfew was relaxed on Thursday evening as players from the main Ashes squad and England Lions, who are also in Perth, went out following a team quiz night at the tourists' base close to the WACA ground.

However, that is unlikely to happen again as the latest controversy again raised fears that England's squad is suffering from a collective drinking problem.

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One incident could be deemed unlucky, two careless, but three? Surely that's a pattern of behaviour that suggests there is a bigger issue here that needs to be dealt with.

Andrew Strauss, England's director of cricket, denied his players were "thugs" following the Bairstow incident.

But coach Trevor Bayliss cautioned that any players caught up in further off-field controversy would be "extra dumb" and "extra stupid" given what has gone on over the past few months.

It is understood England, who are hugely embarrassed by the latest episode, do not believe a drinking culture pervades the squad.

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There is, though, a private admission that a small hardcore of bad apples – around three or four current first-team players – are sullying the reputation of everybody else.

These persistent offenders have now tested the patience of team management and senior figures at the ECB to breaking point. Indeed, exasperated management have openly questioned whether these players do indeed have a problem with alcohol or are just stupid.

Patience has worn so thin with this group that England are considering permanently excluding them from international selection regardless of the effect it will have on the team's results.

While sending people home from an Ashes tour would be deemed counter to the wider good of the team and bring yet more negative headlines, the bad apples could be frozen out as early as the tour of New Zealand that starts in February.

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The feeling within the England set-up is that the majority of the players in both the Test and limited-overs squads are a good bunch and the presence of the minority of problem squad members is inhibiting the development of the collective.

England know the constant stream of negative headlines is damaging not only the reputation of the team but also the sport back in the UK.

Something has to give and it is likely those who have been drinking in the last-chance saloon in terms of disciplinary problems may see last orders called on their England careers very soon.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21