London, August 24, 2026: England pace bowler Brydon Carse has been withdrawn from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan while the Cricket Regulator investigates an incident that resulted in him being seen in handcuffs outside a bar in Derby.
The 31-year-old was filmed and photographed in handcuffs outside a bar on Saturday night after playing for Durham against Derbyshire in a County Championship match. It is understood that Carse was not arrested and was released without charge, although the circumstances surrounding the incident have not been disclosed.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) referred the matter to the Cricket Regulator, which confirmed that it would investigate the events.
“Following a referral from the ECB, the Cricket Regulator have confirmed that they will investigate events on Saturday night in Derby,” the ECB said in a 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 has been replaced in the England squad by 23-year-old seamer Sonny Baker, who earned his only Test cap in the second match of England’s series against New Zealand in June.
Carse was initially part of England’s squad for the first Test against Pakistan but was not selected in the playing XI. He was subsequently released to join Durham for their away fixture against Derbyshire, which Durham won on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours before Carse was due to travel to London to join the England squad ahead of the second Test at Lord’s.
Footage circulating on social media also showed Carse’s Durham teammate Matthew Potts at the scene, while former England captain Ben Stokes was visible in the background. Stokes, although retired from international cricket, remains under a central contract with the ECB, as do Carse and Potts.
Carse’s omission adds to a series of off-field disciplinary issues involving England players this summer.
In June, Stokes and Gus Atkinson missed England’s second Test against New Zealand after being present at a London nightclub where a member of England’s security staff was involved in an altercation with a Saracens rugby player.
The pair were subsequently issued written warnings after an investigation found that they had breached an England team curfew introduced following a number of late-night incidents during the winter.
The curfew had followed incidents involving England players during the previous winter, including Harry Brook being punched by a bouncer outside a nightclub in Wellington and footage emerging of Ben Duckett apparently intoxicated during England’s Ashes holiday in Noosa.
After taking over the captaincy from Stokes, Joe Root removed the curfew and relaxed guidelines concerning alcohol consumption around matches and in public.
Ahead of the first Test against Pakistan, Root nevertheless urged his players to set a positive example.
“You always want to represent your country in the best possible light,” Root told BBC Sport, acknowledging that the team had “fallen short” of that standard on occasions in the recent past.
The latest incident also comes against the backdrop of Carse’s previous disciplinary history. In the summer of 2024, he was handed a three-month ban for historical betting offences.
Carse subsequently rebuilt his career and established himself as a regular member of England’s Test and limited-overs teams. Since making his Test debut in October 2024, he has taken 58 wickets, the most by any England bowler during that period.
Carse was unlikely to have featured in England’s playing XI at Lord’s, with the team expected to retain the four frontline seamers who played in the first Test at Headingley.
England suffered a heavy defeat in that match, with Pakistan winning by an innings inside three days. Carse’s removal nevertheless gives Baker another opportunity to strengthen his claim for a regular place in the England set-up as the investigation continues.
