Joe Root 'hacked off' after Brydon Carse dropped for nightclub incident
England captain Joe Root says he is 'hacked off' after Brydon Carse was dropped from the squad following a nightclub incident in Derby.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
England captain Joe Root has said he is "really hacked off" and "disappointed" after fast bowler Brydon Carse was dropped from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan following a nightclub incident in Derby. Speaking at Lord's two days before the match, Root said he had spoken to Carse, who is "very upset, deeply disappointed and very apologetic". He admitted the incident had taken the focus away from the team's recent performances.
Carse, 31, was filmed in handcuffs being led away by police outside Molly Malone's bar in Derby on Saturday night, after playing in Durham's win over Derbyshire. Derbyshire Police confirmed a man in his thirties was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly but was released shortly afterwards after agreeing to leave the area. He was not charged.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the cricket regulator would investigate the events. In a statement, it said Carse would "no longer be available for selection for the second men's test match while this investigation is ongoing and the full facts are obtained". Sonny Baker has been called up in his place. The video also showed former England captain Ben Stokes and Durham teammate Matthew Potts in the background, though neither has been accused of wrongdoing.
This is the latest in a string of off-field incidents involving centrally contracted England players. In the past ten months, eight players have been caught up in late-night episodes, including Harry Brook being punched by a bouncer in New Zealand, Ben Duckett appearing drunk during the Ashes, and Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson breaking a team curfew earlier this summer. Carse is the third player this summer to be withdrawn from a Test squad.
Root, who took over as captain from Stokes last month, said he had held a "really good conversation" with his players about expectations. He told reporters: "We have an opportunity in front of us to act on that and build something that we can be proud of and people that support us can be proud of too." Former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior called for tougher sanctions, suggesting players should lose their central contracts if involved in further incidents.
Root ended his press conference saying players have to be "smart, whatever situation they come up against" - a remark about adapting to pitches, but one that could equally apply to their behaviour off the field.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brydon Carse was removed from England's squad for the second Test against Pakistan. | |||
| Joe Root expressed frustration and disappointment over the incident. | |||
| Brydon Carse was briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. | · | ||
| Carse was not arrested or charged in connection with the incident. | · | ||
| Carse is in the England squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's next week. | · | · | |
| England won the first Test convincingly. | · | · | |
| Joe Root lifted the team curfew two weeks ago and urged players to behave as adults. | · | · | |
| Matt Prior called for tougher sanctions including players losing contracts. | · | · | |
| Sonny Baker was called up as Carse's replacement. | · | · | |
| The ECB is investigating reports that Carse was involved in an incident at a Derby nightclub. | · | · | |
| The incident happened less than 48 hours before Carse was due to join the squad. | · | · | |
| This was the eighth player in ten months to be involved in an incident while contracted with the England team. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West focused on the broader pattern of discipline problems within English cricket, highlighting the number of incidents involving centrally contracted players and the ECB's struggle to maintain control. It also gave prominence to Matt Prior's call for tougher sanctions and Root's exasperated response.
- “In the past 10 months alone there have been late-night incidents involving eight centrally contracted England players, leading to questions over whether the ECB has lost control.”
- “It was just last week that Joe Root said his players needed to be good role models. Tomorrow he will face yet more difficult questions as the off-field issues just continue.”
- “If you are caught or there is another incident which you're involved in, you lose your central contract straight away.”
BBC NEWS delivered a more straightforward news report, focusing on the factual developments: Carse's removal from the squad, the ECB's referral to the cricket regulator, and the call-up of Sonny Baker. It also noted the disruption to Test preparations and the likely questions for Joe Root.
- “Now in sport Brydon Carse has been removed from England's squad for the second test against Pakistan amid an ongoing investigation into an incident at a nightclub in Derby over the weekend.”
- “the ECB have referred the incident to the cricket regulator and Carr has been removed from the squad for this week's test with Pakistan as Sonny Baker called up in his place.”
ITV1 took a more critical editorial line, framing the story as evidence of a deep-rooted drinking culture within English cricket. It repeatedly connected the incident to a string of previous embarrassments and questioned whether lessons had been learned from the Ashes fallout. It also gave prominent coverage to Root's 'hacked off' reaction and his admission that the team keeps making 'stupid mistakes'.
- “England cricket has a huge image problem and it centres on alcohol.”
- “It is quite clear that lessons from the fallout of the Ashes tour last winter have not been learnt and England has failed spectacularly to deal with what on the face of it appears to be a serious problem with discipline.”
- “A weary looking England captain stepped out in front of a larger than usual media presence today, knowing exactly what was coming his way.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.