Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh was known for his enjoyment of an after-hours beer. He did not hide it; in his time, he did not have to. Just last week, Kerry O'Keeffe related on radio the story of the day in 1976 when Marsh and Doug Walters misled him on a nine-hour bender in an Adelaide brewery, whereupon the next day he took three key Pakistan wickets. O'Keeffe doubtlessly embellished it as only he can, but its central message was unchanged.

When Marsh became the inaugural coach of England's new academy just after the turn of century, I asked him how he could apply the much more puritanical rules of that time without appearing to be a hypocrite. He said he told young players – among them Jimmy, then James, Anderson – that they had to make their own judgments about what they needed to do and not do to survive in their era.

Ben Stokes (left), Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett have become poster boys for England's perceived booze culture Credit:AP, AAP, PA

Marsh said he took his cue from his captain, Ian Chappell, who disdained the very idea of a coach, saying good cricketers figured things out for themselves. "That's almost my coaching philosophy," he said. "I'm a provider rather than a coach."

It is ironic that after all these years, it has fallen to another Australian, Trevor Bayliss, to address and redress a perceived drinking culture in the England team of which he is now coach. Twice, curfews have been applied, twice relaxed. Now a third comes into force. Bayliss makes plain his aversion to the idea of treating adults like kids – like Marsh and later Jason Gillespie, he sees himself as facilitator, not fuehrer – but knows he and the England management have to be seen to be doing something.