Brydon Carse pulled from England Test squad as police investigate Derby nightclub incident
England pace bowler Brydon Carse has been removed from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan after he was briefly arrested on a night out in Derby on Saturday.
Photographs circulating on social media on Sunday showed the 31-year-old in handcuffs, surrounded by police officers outside Molly Malone's bar in the city centre. A member of the public filmed the incident, according to Yahoo Sports (Yahoo Sports).
Derbyshire Police confirmed that a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in Derby city centre on Saturday night. "The man was de-arrested shortly afterwards having agreed to leave the area," the force said in a statement issued on Monday. A de-arrest means the person is released without charge.
The situation escalated on Wednesday. Derbyshire Police issued a fresh statement: "We are investigating allegations of an assault in Derby city centre. No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is ongoing." The force has also appealed for information from the public (BBC Sport).
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) responded swiftly. The governing body said the incident would be investigated by the Cricket Regulator, the independent body that oversees conduct in the English game, and that Carse had been withdrawn from the England squad for the second Test against Pakistan. The ECB has not commented further.
Carse has been approached for a response. He has not yet publicly addressed the incident.
For England, the timing is unwelcome. Carse, a right-arm fast bowler who made his Test debut in 2024, has become a regular in the red-ball setup, offering genuine pace and the ability to extract bounce from flat surfaces. Losing him mid-series disrupts selection plans and shifts attention firmly off the field.
The investigation is at an early stage. No arrests have been made in connection with the assault allegation, and the police appeal suggests they are still gathering evidence. Until that process concludes, both the legal and cricketing consequences for Carse remain unclear.
