England captain Joe Root has said that he was ‘hacked off’ at the Brydon Carse incident where the England pacer was caught on video handcuffed by local police outside a club in Derby last Saturday. The video led to Carse being dropped from the England team ahead of the second Test between England and Pakistan starting at Lords on August 27

Carse became the third England player to be dropped this year from the team after England captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were dropped during the New Zealand series for breaking the night curfew and getting involved in a brawl with a rugby player.

“If I am brutally honest, I am really hacked off. I am really disappointed. After last week’s performance, we sat here, and we’re talking about something unrelated to it all. In terms of the incident itself, obviously with the regulator, there’s not a lot I can say on it. It’s in their hands now,” Root told reporters ahead of the second Test at Lords which starts on Thursday.

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31-year-old Carse, who was the leading wicket-taker for England in this year’s Ashes with a total of 22 wickets, was named in England’s squad for the three-Test series against Pakistan but was not named in the England XI for the opening Test of the series. The pacer was released from the England squad to play for Durham in the County Championship and had scored 26 runs and taken two wickets for 82 against Derbyshire in the match won by Durham in three days.

Carse was out with his Durham teammates Stokes and Matthew Potts to a club in Derby on Saturday night and was later seen in handcuffs outside the club with local police authorities holding the England pacer. Carse was released by the local police authorities.

On Monday, the England Cricket Board announced their decision to drop Carse from the England squad for the remaining Test matches against Pakistan.

“Following a referral from the ECB, the Cricket Regulator has confirmed that they will investigate events on Saturday night in Derby. Brydon Carse will no longer be available for selection for the Second men’s Rothesay test match while this investigation is ongoing and the full facts are obtained,” The ECB had said in a statement.

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Root revealed that he had spoken with Carse. The pacer was apologetic about the incident and told Root he understands his actions.

“I’ve spoken to Brydon. You know, when I first found out my first concern was for him as a person. It’s someone I spent a lot of time with involved in this dressing room. You obviously develop personal relationships with players. And I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn by saying he’s very upset, been very apologetic, and understands his actions. And I’m sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself,” Root added.

The last one year has also seen England white-ball captain Harry Brook fined 30,000 euros after an incident involving a bouncer outside a club in Wellington during England’s tour to New Zealand last year. This was followed by England opener Ben Duckett being photographed in a drunken state during the team’s break in Noosa in the Ashes.

In June this year, Stokes and Atkinson were dropped from the England team for breaking the night curfew post the first Test against New Zealand. Root shared how the Carse incident is not an isolated one and how such incidents are distracting the team.

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“It’s not the isolated incident itself. I think it’s the fact that we continually keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it’s distracting from what we’re doing on the field,” said Root.