England have left out pacer Brydon Carse from the ODI and T20Is squads for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, advising the pacer to ‘work through the issues’ that led to him leaving a Derby nightclub in handcuffs. An independent investigation by the ‘Cricket Regulator’ is ongoing, and the ECB said that their decision to leave out Carse was not their way to ‘prejudge the outcome’.
Social media footage appeared to show the 31-year-old Durham fast bowler being led away in handcuffs by police officers. Carse was reportedly at the nightclub with England and Durham teammate Matthew Potts.
Both had played in Durham’s County Championship victory over Derbyshire earlier in the week. Although he was only briefly apprehended and released, it added to a series
of drinking-related incidents that have shrouded English cricket’s turbulent last few months.
“Whilst Brydon was available for selection, he has not been picked for the Sri Lanka series squad,” an ECB spokesperson told Cricinfo. “Given recent events, we feel it is important for him to work through the issues that led to the Derby incident and take time for a proper reset. This decision does not prejudge the outcome of any investigation.”
Carse was last part of the first Test squad against Pakistan but did not feature in the playing XI, before being left out of the contingents of the second and third Tests. He has 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 14 T20Is to his name, although he has not played for England since the Ashes.
The latest controversy also comes against the backdrop of England’s decision to relax player restrictions. Captain Joe Root had said there would be no curfew during his second stint as Test skipper, despite previous concerns over late-night incidents on overseas tours.
Carse has faced disciplinary scrutiny before. In 2024, he served a three-month ban after admitting to placing 303 bets on cricket matches between 2017 and 2019.
