England cricketers have become the centre of another nightclub controversy. Days after England’s win over Pakistan in the first Test, pacer Brydon Carse was seen handcuffed outside a Derby nightclub, being escorted by four police officers. The England Cricket Board (ECB) has launched an investigation.
"We are aware of an incident which is reported to have taken place in Derby last night, and are currently investigating," an ECB statement read.
"We will provide a further update when possible."
In addition to Carse, former England captain Ben Stokes and pacer Matthew Potts were seen in the background as well. Apparently, they were celebration Durham's win over Derbyshire which featured Stokes taking a fifer in the last innings. Potts had taken a fifer in the first innings as well. Carse took a wicket each in both innings.
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As per a report by The Telegraph, Carse was briefly detained, not arrested. The reason for the arrest is unclear. Reportedly, a drink was spilled on Carse which led to an altercation.
ECB will hand the investigation to Cricket Regulator. ECB has not marked Carse as unavailable for selection. Earlier, Stokes and Gus Atkinson were ruled out of the second Test of the series against New Zealand following a nightclub incident which was under investigation.
Carse was expected to join the England squad for the second Test at Lord’s, London, which begins on August 27. Earlier, he was released from the squad as he was not a part of the playing eleven at Headingley, Leeds.
Will ECB take action against Stokes?
ECB may make a follow-up statement in a day or two. It will be interesting to see if the board takes an action against Stokes who has been involved in a few off-field incidents now. He is currently playing County cricket for Durham since retirement. Durham's next match is against Gloucestershire which begins on August 27 at their homeground.
No curfew for English players
After taking over captain again, skipper Joe Root had abolished the night curfew that was in place before. He urged his teammates to “be adults” and refrain from off-field controversy.
"You always want to represent your country in the best possible light," Root had told BBC Sport.
"We might have fallen short of that on a few occasions in the recent past.
"The only thing we can do to rectify that is be really good role models, good human beings and put in really strong performances on the field."
If Carse faces a suspension or a ban, it won’t be his first. In 2024, he faced a three-month suspension over historical breaches of betting rules.