Cricket: England suspends Ben Duckett in fresh tour controversy

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, England's Ben Duckett after playing a shot on the second day of their second cricket Test match against India. Photo / AP.

English batsman Ben Duckett has been suspended from the Lions' two-day tour game after being involved in an alcohol-related incident in a Perth bar on Thursday night.

The 23-year-old was set to start as an opening batsman for England against a Cricket Australia XI but had his game pulled before the toss.

ESPN reported the rising star "poured a drink" over veteran fast bowler and English vice-captain James Anderson while at the bar.

He will now await a disciplinary investigation from the team's administration.

Duckett wasn't in the Lions' Test squad but was on tour as a member of the England A team.

The incident came one night after England director of cricket Andrew Strauss scrapped the polarising curfew placed on the Test side earlier in the series.

So Ben Duckett chucked a drink over another player. Australia don't need to do any more sledging, England are clearly hell-bent on doing it to themselves/each other #Ashes

— Denise Evans (@DeniseKEvans) December 9, 2017

The curfew, which barred players from staying out later than midnight, was brought in after news broke of a bizarre incident involving Jonny Bairstow headbutting Aussie batsman Cameron Bancroft.

"When you are in the spotlight like this you can understand why that is said about a team like this," England coach Trevor Bayliss said after England were downed in a 10-wicket loss at the Gabba.

"Most people like going out and having a couple of quiet ones but we have got to be careful that we don't do anything stupid. They would be extra dumb and stupid if they didn't (learn after Bairstow's misdeed), that's for sure."

Duckett is likely to discover the outcome of his hearing within 24 hours.

Andrew Strauss denied claims of a drinking culture in the struggling team but said the touring side had to "sharpen up" their act.

"The players are adults — intelligent adults — and sometimes they are not using that intelligence in the right way," he said.

"The last thing any of us want is to be in the news for the wrong reasons and I will be reminding the players of their obligations."

The controversy comes after all-rounder Ben Stokes was left out of the start of the Ashes summer following a street brawl outside a bar in England earlier in the year.