England Test captain Joe Root opened a news conference Monday with a blunt statement about fast bowler Brydon Carse. "If I'm being brutally honest, I'm really hacked off, I'm really disappointed," Root said.
Images that circulated on social media Sunday showed Carse, 31, in handcuffs outside a bar in Derby on Saturday night. He was briefly arrested and then de-arrested. Carse was not on England duty at the time, having been released to play for Durham, but he holds a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The ECB referred the incident to the Cricket Regulator. Carse was dropped from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan, which begins at Lord's on Thursday. Sonny Baker was named as his replacement.
Root said he had spoken with Carse directly. "I've spoken to Brydon, and when I first found out my main concern was him as a person," Root said. He added that Carse was taking the situation seriously. "I don't think I'm speaking out of turn by saying he's very upset, very apologetic and understands his actions. I'm sure that when he gets his chance he will say that himself."
But Root made clear the frustration went beyond this single incident. "I don't think it's the isolated incident itself, it's the fact we keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it's detracting from what we're doing on the field," he said. He also said he was frustrated that the team's performance in the first Test, which was strong, had been overshadowed. "After last week's performance, we're sat here and we're talking about something that is not related to it at all."
According to BBC Sport, Carse was with Durham teammates Ben Stokes and Matthew Potts at the time, both of whom also hold England central contracts. The incident is the latest in a string of off-field events involving contracted England players over the past year. In October, white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched outside a nightclub in Wellington, New Zealand, with Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue present. During the Ashes tour of Australia, opener Ben Duckett was filmed apparently drunk on England's holiday in Noosa. In June, Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke a team curfew and were present when a member of England's security staff was punched by a rugby player in a London nightclub.
The total now stands at eight contracted players involved in or present for late-night incidents in the past year, more than a quarter of the 30 men currently on England deals.
When Root was reappointed as Test captain, he removed the midnight curfew that had been in place under the previous regime of Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Root stood by that decision Monday, saying he still did not think a curfew was the right approach, but acknowledged it would take time for the team to rebuild trust with supporters.
The second Test against Pakistan begins at Lord's on Thursday.
