Pace bowler Brydon Carse has been removed from England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan amid an ongoing investigation into an incident that led to him being handcuffed by police.
Images that appeared on social media on Sunday showed Carse, 31, in handcuffs outside a bar in Derby on Saturday night.
It is understood he was not arrested, though the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has referred the incident to the Cricket Regulator.
The Regulator will investigate and, as a result, Carse has been removed from the squad and replaced by Sonny Baker.
It is the latest of a string of off-field incidents involving the England team – Carse has become the third player to this summer to miss a Test because of a disciplinary issue.
“Following a referral from the ECB, the Cricket Regulator have confirmed that they will investigate events on Saturday night in Derby,” said an ECB statement.
“Brydon Carse will no longer be available for selection for the second men’s Test while this investigation is ongoing and the full facts are obtained.”
Carse was part of the England squad for the first Test against Pakistan, which the hosts won by an innings inside three days at Headingley.
When he was not named in the starting XI, Carse was released to play for Durham away at Derbyshire, a game the Division Two leaders won on Saturday evening.
Following that win, Carse was filmed in handcuffs outside a bar in Derby. It has not been confirmed why he was detained, though he was released without charge.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours before Carse was scheduled to arrive in London to join up with the rest of the England squad for the second Test at Lord’s.
Also in the footage was Carse’s Durham team-mate Matthew Potts, while former England captain could be seen in the background. Though Stokes has retired from international cricket, he is still under a central contract with the ECB, as are Potts and Carse.
In June, Stokes and Gus Atkinson were present in a London nightclub when a member of England’s security staff was struck by a Saracens rugby player.
Both men missed the second Test against New Zealand while the incident was investigated, and the pair were eventually given a written warning as to their conduct.
Stokes and Atkinson breached an England team curfew that was introduced following late-night incidents during the winter.
Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer outside a nightclub in Wellington and Ben Duckett was filmed, apparently drunk, on England’s Ashes holiday in Noosa.
On replacing Stokes as England captain, Joe Root began his second spell in charge by removing the curfew. Guidelines issued to players on the consumption of alcohol around matches and in public were also relaxed.
On the day before the first Test against Pakistan, Root acknowledged called on his 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.”
In the summer of 2024, Carse was given a three-month ban for historical betting offences.
He has subsequently rebuilt his career to become an England regular across formats. Since Carse made his Test debut in October 2024, no England bowler has taken more than his 58 wickets.
More to follow.
