England fast bowler Brydon Carse has been withdrawn from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s from Thursday following an incident outside a Derby nightclub that is being investigated by the Cricket Regulator.
Video footage emerged of a handcuffed Carse being led away by police on Saturday night after Durham’s players had gone out to celebrate their win at Derbyshire in the County Championship.
Carse was seen talking to team-mate Matthew Potts with former England captain Ben Stokes also pictured in the background.
An ECB statement read: “Following a referral from the ECB, the Cricket Regulator have confirmed that they will investigate events on Saturday night in Derby. Brydon Carse will no longer be available for selection for the Second Men’s Rothesay Test Match while this investigation is ongoing and the full facts are obtained.”
Sonny Baker – who made his Test debut against New Zealand at The Kia Oval in June – replaces fellow seamer Carse in England’s 15-player squad.
The Carse situation comes less than two weeks after new England captain Joe Root removed the midnight curfew that had been installed following a number of drink-related issues across the winter tours of New Zealand and Australia.
Carse was seen in handcuffs outside a nightclub in Derby on Saturday night
Carse did not make the England XI for the thumping three-day win over Pakistan in the series-opening Test at Headingley and was subsequently released to play for Durham against Derbyshire, a game in which he took two wickets and scored 26 runs.
Carse was England’s leading wicket-taker during their 4-1 Ashes hammering but has not played for his country since due to injury.
Another off-field issue for England to manage
The paceman’s nightclub incident is another off-field episode for England to negotiate.
Carse (pictured) has been replaced by Sonny Baker in England’s squad
White-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer while out the evening before a one-day international in New Zealand last autumn.
Then, during The Ashes, an unverified video appeared to show batter Ben Duckett drunk while the team were on a mid-series break in the beach resort of Noosa.
Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed the second Test of the 2-1 home defeat to New Zealand earlier this summer after breaking the curfew to attend a Chelsea nightclub as they celebrated victory in the first game of the series at Lord’s.
Stokes and Atkinson were cleared of violent conduct but hit with written warnings after “breaching specific contractual obligations”.
Root had called for his players to “be adults” while announcing the removal of the curfew, so the Carse situation will raise further questions about the side’s relationship with alcohol.
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England Test captain Joe Root explains why he has removed the curfew that was previously imposed on his England team
Broad: Carse ‘pretty daft’ to be caught up in nightclub incident
Speaking on his For the Love of Cricket podcast, before Carse’s withdrawal from the squad for the second Test was announced, former England bowler turned Sky Sports pundit Stuart Broad said: “We can’t really make a judgement apart from it being, whatever’s happened, pretty daft.
“We’ll wait and see. We don’t know, it could have been 10 o’clock in the evening, it could have been two o’clock, but whatever.
“This is not really anything that anybody wants to be talking about any more, to be brutally honest.”
Watch day one of the second Test between England and Pakistan, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am Thursday (11am first ball). Stream with NOW.
England vs Pakistan Test series schedule
All games live on Sky Sports; all 11am starts UK and Ireland
