England Star Brydon Carse Cleared After Assault Probe, But New Trouble Awaits

England pacer Brydon Carse will not be facing any charges for an alleged assault after Derbyshire Police dropped its investigation into the case, reported Cricinfo. Last month, footage emerged of the English fast bowler in handcuffs after he was arrested on suspicion of behaving disorderly while drunk, and officers were called to Molly Malones in Wardwick, Derby. He was de-arrested but was dropped from England's Test squad for the home Test series against Pakistan, which the hosts won 3-0. With the scrutiny higher than ever on England's drinking and clubbing culture, which has witnessed incidents involving white-ball captain Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, former Test skipper Ben Stokes, Gus Atkinson and Carse, the pacer was also not picked for the T20Is and ODIs at home against Sri Lanka, a series which is currently in progress.

After an inquiry, as per Cricinfo, it was found that the alleged victim did not want to make any complaint and hence no further action was taken.

A statement from the police read, as quoted by Cricinfo, "An investigation into reports of an assault in Derby city centre has been closed. Officers attended Molly Malones in the Wardwick, Derby, in the early hours of Sunday, 23 August. A man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and was then de-arrested after his details were taken by officers."

Now, Carse will be subjected to an investigation by the Cricket Regulator. When the incident took place, the fast-bowling all-rounder had been playing county cricket for Durham and was in the squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan. His current central contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will expire in September 2027.

Following the incident, newly-appointed Test captain Joe Root remarked that he was "hacked off".

Last week, England's white-ball coach Brendon McCullum said that Carse "needs to get his house in order", following a statement from the ECB on his non-selection, which stated that he must "work through the issues that led to the Derby incident and take time for a proper reset".

Carse has been featuring in the County Championship for Durham after the incident, but he did not feature in the latest round match against Worcestershire, with the county saying he was "unwell". He was also not in the team photo when Durham lifted the Championship Division Two title on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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