England captain Harry Brook says Brydon Carse needs time away from international cricket

England white-ball captain Harry Brook says Brydon Carse needs time away from international cricket, as the South Africa-born fast bowler waits on an investigation by the independent cricket regulator.

As eNCA reported on 22 September, Brook told the BBC on Monday that he had spoken a lot with his Durham teammate and close friend, and that he believed Carse needed a break from the international scene. Brook said the conversations were private and that Carse was working on a few things behind the scenes.

Carse, 31, was arrested and de-arrested by police on a night out with his Durham teammates in Derby, in central England, last month. On Friday, police confirmed that an investigation into an alleged assault had ended, with no further action taken.

He has continued to play for county side Durham. He has not been chosen by England in any format since the incident, and has not played for England since the fifth Ashes Test in January. He also missed the first half of the English season through injury.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that Carse is available for selection. The investigation by the independent cricket regulator is separate from the police matter and remains open.

England white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum said last week that Carse should get his house in order before an international return. Brook, who captains England in one-day international and T20 cricket, was speaking before the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday. He said players should be role models on and off the field, and that everyone was extremely aware of that now.

Adil Rashid will miss the first game of the three-match series with a hand injury. Fellow leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed replaces him. England beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in a T20 series that ended on Saturday.

Carse was born in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, and played his early cricket in South Africa before moving to England. He qualified for England through residency and has been part of the national setup across formats.

For South African readers, the case turns on a distinction that matters in any country. A de-arrest is not a finding of innocence, and a police decision to take no further action is not a court verdict. It means the police investigation into the alleged assault has closed without charge. The regulator’s process is a separate matter and can consider conduct that does not amount to a crime.

That split between a criminal investigation and a governing body’s disciplinary process is familiar here. Cricket South Africa runs its own disciplinary and integrity processes alongside the South African Police Service, and a player can face sanctions from the sport without ever appearing in a criminal court.

Carse’s arrest was the latest in a series of off-field incidents involving England players. Brook himself was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand last October. New England Test head coach Stephen Fleming has said that restoring standards will be as important as results, while McCullum has challenged his limited-overs teams to be the fittest, strongest, most dynamic and most robust cricket team in the world.

For now, Carse keeps playing county cricket while the regulator’s investigation runs. England’s selectors say he is available. His captain says he needs time.

Source: eNCA, Carse needs time away from England, says captain Brook