England have scrapped their midnight curfew seven months after introducing it. Now, only wins will repair the reputational damage they have sustained, says Stephan Shemilt.\n\n"We are grown men and we know how to behave," said Joe Root in 2017, echoing his recent remarks. The curfew's return in January followed trouble on the Ashes tour, but Root's comeback as captain has seen it lifted.

Former cricketers argue drinking is no worse than in the past, but cricket hasn't moved with the times.\n\nThe curfew was introduced for the white-ball team in January, then kept for Tests. Captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke it, leading director Rob Key to float an alcohol ban. Head coach Brendon McCullum admitted "ambiguity," then was sacked.

Now Root and new Test coach Stephen Fleming have removed the curfew, with the ECB backing grown-up treatment.\n\nBut only on-field success will repair reputational damage. England have won only two of their past 10 Tests, and the next challenges are tough: Pakistan, South Africa, the Ashes, and India. As Root said, treating players like adults off the field may help them take responsibility on it.

However, flip-flopping on rules doesn't create a winning environment. Curfew or no curfew, England can only rebuild by winning.