England’s pace attack suffered a further blow when fast‑bowler Brydon Carse was dropped from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's. The decision, announced on Thursday, follows a police‑investigated incident that took place outside a nightclub in Derby on the night of August 22. Video that later surfaced shows Carse, handcuffed, being escorted by police officers after Durham teammates had gone out to celebrate a County Championship victory over Derbyshire. In the footage Carse can be seen speaking with fellow bowler Matthew Potts, while former England captain Ben Stokes appears in the background.
The England squad for the match, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10 a.m. (first ball at 11 a.m.), 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, Sonny Baker – who made his Test debut against New Zealand at the Kia Oval in June – steps in as the replacement seam bowler. Derbyshire Police released a statement confirming that a man in his thirties was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in the city centre on Saturday night.
The individual was subsequently "de‑arrested" after agreeing to leave the area, the statement added. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also issued a comment, noting that, after a referral from the board, the Cricket Regulator will investigate the events of that night.
The regulator confirmed that Carse will not be considered for selection while the inquiry is ongoing and the full facts are gathered. Carse’s exclusion comes only weeks after England captain Joe Root lifted the midnight curfew that had been imposed following a series of alcohol‑related incidents on previous tours of New Zealand and Australia. The curfew had been a point of contention among players, and its removal was intended to give the squad more freedom while still expecting professional behaviour. Nonetheless, the Carse episode adds another chapter to England’s ongoing struggle with off‑field discipline.
The fast bowler had not featured in the first Test at Headingley, a dominant three‑day win for England, and was released back to Durham for the county match against Derbyshire. In that game Carse claimed two wickets and contributed 26 runs with the bat, showing that his form remained solid despite recent injury setbacks. He was England’s leading wicket‑taker during the recent 4‑1 Ashes triumph, but injuries have kept him out of the side for several months. England’s recent history is peppered with similar off‑field incidents.
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, an unverified video appeared to show batsman Ben Duckett drinking heavily while the team was on a mid‑series break in Noosa, Australia. Earlier this summer, both Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson missed the second Test of the home series against New Zealand after breaching the curfew to attend a Chelsea nightclub celebration following a victory at Lord’s.
While they escaped formal sanctions for violent conduct, they received written warnings for violating specific contractual obligations. Root has repeatedly urged his teammates to "be adults" and act responsibly, especially after the curfew was scrapped.
Carse’s situation will inevitably reignite debate about the team’s relationship with alcohol, the effectiveness of the curfew policy, and the broader cultural expectations placed on professional cricketers. Former England paceman and Sky Sports analyst Stuart Broad weighed in on the matter during his "For the Love of Cricket" podcast, saying, "We can’t really make a judgement 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 in the morning, but whatever. This is not really anything that anybody wants to be talking about any more, to be brutally honest." As the England camp prepares for the second Test, the focus will shift back to the on‑field battle. Pakistan, fresh from a convincing win in the first Test, will be looking to level the series, while England hopes to maintain the momentum generated at Lord’s.
With Carse out, the seam attack will rely on the experience of Archer and Atkinson, the youth of Baker, and the versatility of the remaining bowlers. The incident also serves as a reminder that professional athletes are under constant scrutiny, and that off‑field conduct can have immediate repercussions on selection and team dynamics. Fans can watch the start of the match live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event, or stream via NOW.
All broadcasts begin at 10 a.m. UK time, with the first ball delivered at 11 a.m.
The ECB has indicated that a full report from the Cricket Regulator will be released once the investigation concludes, and that any further disciplinary action will be considered in line with the board’s code of conduct.