The England cricket team's Ashes tour has been further marred by an incident at Brisbane Airport on Saturday, December 13, 2025, involving a member of their security staff and a cameraman from Channel Seven, an Australian television network. As the team prepared to depart for Adelaide ahead of the crucial third Test, the security guard confronted the cameraman, Nick Carrigan, while he was filming the team.
Footage of the incident shows the security guard repeatedly telling the cameraman to "get out of my face" while attempting to block the camera. Channel Seven described the interaction as "aggressive," and Carrigan stated he was "quite shocked" by the encounter. While the available footage does not clearly show a physical altercation, Channel 7 reported that Carrigan was "manhandled".
Channel Seven released a statement confirming the incident is being taken seriously and is being "handled through appropriate channels". An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) spokesperson declined to comment on the matter. However, it's been reported the English camp later asked security staff not to be physical with reporters.
The incident occurred amidst existing media protocols established by Cricket Australia (CA) for the Ashes series. These protocols stipulate that players from both sides are unavailable for interviews during travel days and that any images should be captured from "a respectful distance". These guidelines were put in place after England captain Ben Stokes and batter Joe Root were questioned by reporters at Perth airport following the series opener.
The Australian media has been a consistent source of scrutiny for the England team throughout the tour. Prior to this incident, the team has faced criticism and attention for various off-field activities, including being filmed playing golf before the first Test, drone footage of team activities, and players photographed riding e-scooters without helmets. Despite this, the team has generally taken the scrutiny in stride, with players even posing for photographs with fans during a mid-series break.
This latest incident adds to the pressure on Ben Stokes' team, who are currently trailing 0-2 in the five-match series. With the third Test in Adelaide being a must-win situation for England to keep their Ashes hopes alive, the team is already facing intense scrutiny over their performance and preparation.
