England’s pace attack suffered a further blow when fast bowler Brydon Carse was removed from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's. The decision came after a police incident outside a Derby nightclub on Saturday night that is now being examined by the Cricket Regulator. Footage that surfaced online shows Carse, handcuffed, being escorted by police officers after a night out in Derby city centre.
The video captures the bowler speaking with teammate Matthew Potts while former England captain Ben Stokes can be seen in the background, suggesting the group was together when the authorities intervened. The England squad for the match, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10:00 a.m. (first ball at 11:00 a.m.) on Thursday, includes captain Joe Root, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.
With Carse unavailable, the team have called up Sonny Baker – who earned his Test debut against New Zealand at the Kia Oval in June – to fill the seamer’s place. Derbyshire Police released a statement confirming that a man in his thirties was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly on the night of August 22. The individual was subsequently released after agreeing to leave the area, and the police noted that the arrest was effectively cancelled shortly after it was made. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also issued a statement.
It explained that, following a referral from the board, the Cricket Regulator would investigate the events that took place in Derby. In the meantime, Carse will not be considered for selection for the second men’s Rothesay Test while the investigation is underway and the full facts are gathered. Carse’s absence comes less than two weeks after England captain Joe Root announced the removal of a midnight curfew that had been imposed earlier in the season. The curfew had been introduced after a series of alcohol‑related incidents on the winter tours of New Zealand and Australia.
Root’s decision was framed as a call for players to act responsibly and "be adults," but the Carse episode has reignited debate over the team’s relationship with alcohol and off‑field behaviour. The bowler had not featured in the first Test at Headingley, where England secured a dominant three‑day victory over Pakistan.
After the match he returned to Durham for a County Championship fixture against Derbyshire, taking two wickets and contributing 26 runs with the bat. Earlier in the year Carse had been England’s leading wicket‑taker during the 4‑1 Ashes white‑wash, but injuries have kept him out of the national side for several months.
England’s off‑field challenges do not stop with Carse. In the autumn of last year, white‑ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer before a One‑Day International in New Zealand.
During the Ashes series, an unverified video appeared to show batsman Ben Duckett drinking heavily while the squad was on a break in the beach resort of Noosa. More recently, Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson missed a Test against New Zealand after breaching the curfew to attend a Chelsea nightclub celebration following a win at Lord’s. Both players received written warnings for violating specific contractual obligations, although they were cleared of any violent conduct.
Stokes and Atkinson’s incident, along with Carse’s recent arrest, highlights the ongoing tension between team discipline and players’ social lives. While the ECB has taken a more lenient stance by removing the curfew, it remains clear that any breach of conduct will be scrutinised, especially when it involves legal authorities.
Former England bowler and Sky Sports analyst Stuart Broad commented on the situation during his "For the Love of Cricket" podcast. Broad said, "We can’t really make a judgment apart from it being, whatever’s happened, pretty daft. We’ll wait and see. It could have been 10 p.m., it could have been two a.m., but whatever.
This is not really anything that anybody wants to be talking about any more, to be brutally honest." The second Test, which will be streamed live on Sky Sports and also available via NOW, marks a crucial point in the series. England will be looking to maintain their momentum after a convincing opening win, while Pakistan will be eager to bounce back.
The squad’s composition, now missing Carse, will be closely examined by fans and pundits alike, especially as the team navigates the broader issues of player conduct and the balance between discipline and personal freedom. As the match approaches, the cricketing community will be watching not only the on‑field performances but also how the England management handles the fallout from off‑field incidents. The outcome could shape future policies on player behaviour, curfew enforcement, and the role of the Cricket Regulator in overseeing the conduct of England’s international cricketers.