Brydon Carse has been formally charged with misconduct by the Cricket Regulator following his recent arrest for alleged drunken and disorderly behavior during an outing with his Durham teammates in Derby last August.
The fast bowler was questioned by Derbyshire police regarding accusations of assault, but the investigation was closed two weeks ago without any charges being filed, according to reports from the Guardian.
Despite the lack of criminal charges, Carse now faces a disciplinary hearing before the independent Cricket Discipline Committee (CDC) in the coming weeks.
The 31-year-old was excluded from England’s Test squad for the second and third matches against Pakistan shortly after his arrest and was also not selected for the white-ball team that competed against Sri Lanka last month. Furthermore, he was not included in the squad for a tri-series in Pakistan this month. However, he is currently eligible for international selection.
The disciplinary proceedings are expected to remain unresolved before Stephen Fleming announces his team for England’s three-Test series in South Africa scheduled for December, which may present a challenging decision for the new head coach. White-ball captain Harry Brook mentioned last month that Carse requires “time away” from international cricket, following expressions of “frustration” from Test captain Joe Root regarding Carse’s judgment.
Carse holds a central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for another year, but he is not facing disciplinary action from the ECB for any contract violations. Possible sanctions from the CDC range from a warning to suspension or financial penalties.
In a separate incident last November, both Brook and Jacob Bethell received warnings for their conduct after they were seen drinking in a Wellington bar the night before a one-day international against New Zealand, which was deemed as bringing the game into disrepute. Josh Tongue, who was with them, was also investigated but faced no penalties as he was not part of the playing XI. Brook had already incurred a £30,000 fine from the ECB for a separate altercation with a nightclub bouncer on the same night.
This summer, the Cricket Regulator also looked into the conduct of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, who were alleged to have violated an ECB curfew by drinking at a Chelsea nightclub after winning the first Test against New Zealand in June. Neither player was charged, yet both were sidelined by the ECB for the subsequent Test. The controversy from this incident is believed to have contributed to Stokes’ eventual retirement from international cricket.
A statement from the Cricket Regulator announced: “Following an investigation, Brydon Carse has been charged with violating regulation 3.2 of the ECB’s professional conduct regulations concerning events that transpired in Derby in the early hours of August 23, 2026. This matter will now be forwarded to the independent Cricket Discipline Panel for review. Due to the ongoing nature of the process, no further comments will be provided.”
Regulation 3.2 specifies that “no participant may behave in a manner or engage in any act or omission at any time that is improper or that may harm the interests of cricket or bring the ECB, the sport of cricket, or any player or group of players into disrepute.”
The ECB stated: “We acknowledge the Cricket Regulator’s decision to charge Brydon Carse. He now has the opportunity to respond through the established process. As we do not wish to influence the outcome, it is not appropriate for us to comment further.”
