England have made a change to their squad ahead of the second Test against Pakistan at Lord’s after Brydon Carse was ruled unavailable for the contest. The fast bowler had missed the opening Test in Leeds and was released to play for Durham in the County Championship over the weekend. However, an incident following Durham’s victory over Derbyshire has now resulted in Carse being left out of the squad while the relevant authorities investigate the matter.
Brydon Carse unavailable for second Test
Carse celebrated Durham’s win over Derbyshire on Saturday before footage emerged the following day showing the England pacer being surrounded by police officers and led away from a venue in Derby. The incident was reportedly at Molly Malone’s Irish Tavern, where Carse was allegedly involved in an incident that resulted in him being briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and acting disorderly.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) referred the matter to the Cricket Regulator, which has confirmed that it will investigate the events. Carse will therefore not be available for selection for the Lord’s Test while the investigation continues and the full facts are established.
“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.
England make change to squad
England have brought Sonny Baker into their 16-member squad as Carse’s replacement. The young pacer could now earn his second Test cap after making his international debut against New Zealand at The Oval in June. Baker has been added to an England pace group that includes Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sam Cook, Matthew Fisher, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue. His inclusion provides England with another option as they prepare for a crucial second Test at Lord’s.
England will head into the second Test with a 1-0 advantage after an emphatic performance in Leeds. Ben Stokes’ side defeated Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs in the opening match and will now aim to seal the series with another strong display at Lord’s. The victory also helped England strengthen their position in the World Test Championship standings. They currently occupy seventh place, while Pakistan sit ninth, making the remaining matches important for both teams.
England squad for 2nd Test vs Pakistan: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Sonny Baker, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
