Harry Brook says Brydon Carse ‘just needs time away from the international scene’ before first ODI at Chester-le-Street

England white-ball captain Harry Brook said Brydon Carse “just needs time away from the international scene” ahead of Tuesday’s first one-day international against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street, adding that the fast bowler is “working on a few things behind the scenes.”

Brook said he is hopeful Carse will return to England’s white-ball teams once the bowler is clear of his ongoing disciplinary process, and described him as “a very good mate.” Carse recently learned he will not face a criminal charge over a late-night incident in Derby last month that led to him being briefly handcuffed, but he has not featured in England squads since as he awaits the outcome of an investigation by the Cricket Regulator.

On Carse’s playing form and availability Brook said: “He’s a very good cricketer. He’s been bowling extremely well for Durham. When his time for selection is up, that will be a debate.” He added that he had spoken privately with Carse and repeated that the bowler needs time away from the international scene.

Brook referenced a wider push for increased off-field professionalism from the coaching group, quoting Brendon McCullum: “The words Baz [McCullum] said the other day [were that] we want to be one of the fittest and strongest teams in the world. And to be able to do that we need to be preparing well on and off the field.” Brook, who was punched by a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand last winter, framed those standards in the context of the squad’s preparation.

England enter the ODI opener short of several players: Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran are absent through injury, and Adil Rashid will miss the first match — and potentially the series — while awaiting scan results on an issue with his bowling hand sustained during the whitewash-sealing T20 win at Old Trafford on Saturday. Tom Banton has been brought in to open and Jamie Overton joins the attack, while Rehan Ahmed, 16 years younger than Rashid at 22, is selected as the team’s wrist-spinner.

Brook pointed to England’s recent T20 form as momentum for the ODI series, noting the 3-0 sweep of Sri Lanka that took them to No 1 in the T20 rankings and contrasting that with an ODI ranking of seventh, one spot below the tourists. “We’ve gone undefeated in the T20s and I think we can take a hell of a lot of confidence from that going into this ODI series. It’s more of the same. As a squad and a unit, we’re trying to play a higher octane style of cricket and we’re really trying to put them under pressure with bat and ball,” he said.

Brook also discussed squad management across formats, citing the ongoing deployment of Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue after a long, all-format summer and saying the next 12 months are about building towards the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa, which will mean using full-strength ODI XIs where possible and rotating more in T20s. Brook, who limits his franchise cricket to the Hundred, said his aims for the ODI series include improved strike-rotation in the middle overs and better play against spin, and he referred to Kevin Pietersen’s input as the team’s new white-ball mentor: “I haven’t had those conversations with him yet, but I’m sure it will come up at some point. I think the way I’ve performed in my career so far, it’s almost a compliment to get those opinions. I’ll be trying my hardest to be the best player I can possibly be.” Jonathan Trott has been named head coach of the England Lions for winter tours of the Caribbean, South Africa and Sri Lanka, replacing Andrew Flintoff after he stood down last month.

England XI v Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (w), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.