Brydon Carse has been withdrawn from England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s after he was filmed in handcuffs outside a Derby nightclub on Saturday night. Hampshire fast bowler Sonny Baker has been named as his replacement. The Cricket Regulator has confirmed it is investigating the matter, and Carse will remain unavailable until the investigation concludes.
Brydon Carse has been left out of England’s squad for the second Test following the incident in Derby, with Sonny Baker named as his replacement.
The Cricket Regulator has confirmed that it is investigating the matter, and Carse will remain unavailable until the investigation… pic.twitter.com/uvPCbdWSSx
— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 24, 2026
The incident took place after Durham’s 338-run County Championship victory over Derbyshire. Carse had been released from England duty to play in the match, where he scored 26 runs and took 2-82. Video footage circulating on social media shows Carse surrounded by police officers with his hands behind his back outside what is believed to be Molly Malone’s Irish Tavern in Derby. Durham teammate Matthew Potts was at the scene speaking to Carse. Former England captain Ben Stokes was visible in the background of the footage.
Carse was briefly detained but not arrested. He was released without charge. The exact circumstances that led to police intervention have not been disclosed.
Durham bowler Brydon Carse, who is in England squad for second Test, was released without charge after a nightclub incident while celebrating victory over Derbyshire@willis_macp has the details ⤵️https://t.co/4YXyQWChe5 pic.twitter.com/zFKA3lgPVi
— Telegraph Cricket (@TeleCricket) August 23, 2026
The ECB moved quickly. Their statement confirmed the investigation was underway before the squad change was announced.
“We are aware of an incident which is reported to have taken place in Derby last night, and are currently investigating. We will provide a further update when possible.”
ECB official statement, August 23, 2026
Baker, 23, plays for Hampshire and made his Test debut against New Zealand at The Oval in June. He is an express pace bowler who former England coach Brendon McCullum compared to Mark Wood. His ODI debut against South Africa last September was difficult, going for 76 runs without a wicket, but his raw speed and bounce earned him a Test opportunity. The second Test at Lord’s begins Thursday.
England bowler Brydon Carse is under investigation after he was reportedly involved in an incident at a nightclub in Derby on Saturday, the ECB has confirmed.
He is due to be in the squad for the second Test against Pakistan, which will assemble at Lord’s tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/QDCss41oWN
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 23, 2026
The timing makes this worse than a single incident. Joe Root scrapped the team curfew on August 12, telling the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: “There’s not going to be a curfew. Players are doing their work, and if you want guys to take responsibility on the field, they’ve got to feel like they can be grown adults.” Six days later, ahead of the first Test at Headingley, Root told BBC Sport: “You always want to represent your country in the best possible light. 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.” Five days after that, Carse was in handcuffs.
England’s Off-Field Pattern in 2026
Carse is not an isolated case. England cricket has lurched from one off-field crisis to the next this year.
| When | Who | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | Harry Brook | Fined £30,000 for altercation with a bouncer in Wellington |
| June 2026 | Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson | Dropped from New Zealand Test for breaking team curfew |
| July 2026 | Brendon McCullum | Sacked as England Test coach |
| July 2026 | Ben Stokes | Retired from international cricket |
| August 2026 | Brydon Carse | Withdrawn from squad after nightclub incident in Derby |
Five major disruptions in eight months. Root inherited a team that had already lost its coach and its most experienced all-rounder. The no-curfew policy was supposed to signal trust. Instead, it lasted less than two weeks before the next incident.
Carse served a three-month ban in 2024 for historic betting offences. He placed bets on cricket matches over a period of years, breaching ICC anti-corruption rules. The ban was supposed to be the line. He came back, became England’s leading wicket-taker in the 2025-26 Ashes with 22 wickets, and rebuilt his reputation on the field. That rehabilitation now faces a second test off it.
Insider Read
Every county dressing room celebrates a win. After three days of Championship cricket, players shower, change, and go out together. The night out is part of the fabric of domestic cricket. The problem is not that Carse went out after beating Derbyshire. The problem is that England’s players keep ending up in situations where police get involved, cameras appear, and the ECB has to issue statements before breakfast.
One incident is bad luck. This many in one year points to a group of players who do not understand where the line is. The ECB withdrew Carse within hours because they had no margin left. Not after Brook. Not after Stokes and Atkinson. Not after sacking the coach. The pattern made the decision before the video surfaced.
