Brydon Carse stood down from England squad after footage of him in handcuffs in Derby
Brydon Carse has been stood down from England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan after footage emerged of the 31-year-old fast bowler in police handcuffs outside a bar in Derby on Saturday, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Monday.
The footage, filmed by a member of the public, shows Carse outside Molly Malone’s Tavern following Durham’s County Championship victory over Derbyshire earlier that day. Carse had been released from England’s squad for the first Test to play for Durham and is a centrally contracted player; the ECB confirmed it has referred the matter to the Cricket Regulator and issued a statement: “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. Brydon will be replaced in the squad for this match by Sonny Baker.”
The clip shows Ben Stokes in the background and Durham team-mate Matthew Potts speaking to security staff and police while Carse is said to have been in handcuffs for “a few minutes”; reports state he was not arrested or charged. The images circulated on social media on Sunday and were taken less than 48 hours before Carse was due to rejoin the England group in London ahead of the second Test.
According to sources cited by reporters, the footage followed an incident in which Carse was denied re-entry to the bar after an earlier “exchange of words” with another member of the public about a spilled drink; Durham are not believed to be pursuing the matter. Carse had been part of a 15-man party due to convene in London on Monday before two training days at Lord’s ahead of the second Test, which starts on Thursday.
The decision to stand Carse down comes amid a string of late-night, drink-related incidents involving England players over the past nine months. In June, Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson missed the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval while that incident was investigated and were later given written warnings; Joe Root has recently removed a team curfew and had urged players to be “really good role models and good human beings.” "You always want to represent your country in the best possible light," Root told BBC Sport. "We might have fallen short of that on a few occasions in the recent past. The only thing we can do to rectify that is be really good role models, good human beings and put in really strong performances on the field."
Carse’s career has included a three-month ban in 2024 for historical betting offences; subsequent to that sanction he worked his way back into international contention and became a regular across formats. Since making his Test debut in October 2024, no England bowler has taken more than his 58 wickets, and although he formed part of the winter’s Ashes tour as England’s leading wicket-taker, he was not expected to play at Lord’s this week.
England will convene in London on Monday for two days of training at Lord’s ahead of the second Test, with Sonny Baker joining the squad; Baker has one Test cap, earned in the second match of the series against New Zealand in June.