England fast bowler Brydon Carse could make a return in the Test series against the Proteas in South Africa. He has been named in the England Lions squad that will tour the country, IOL Sport reported.
Carse, 31, has not played for England since he was handcuffed outside a nightclub in Derby in August. He was then dropped for the second Test of England’s 3-0 home series win over Pakistan.
“We feel the Lions is the right place for him to come back,” national selector Marcus North said on Monday.
England seamer Josh Tongue will miss the first Test against South Africa on 17 December. He is expecting the birth of his second child.
North said “one or two players” from the Lions squad would be brought into the Test group. He did not rule out Carse.
“Come that first Test, with Josh Tongue unavailable, that will leave us with 14 players and this is where I feel we’re using the Lions tour to our advantage,” North said.
Derbyshire Police did not bring any charges against Carse after looking into an alleged assault linked to the August incident. But the cricket regulator found that he had broken the England and Wales Cricket Board’s rules on professional conduct.
Test captain Joe Root said the incident left him “hacked off”. White-ball captain Harry Brook said Carse, who was born in South Africa, needed “time away”.
North said the past few months had been hard for the bowler. “Obviously in the past few months under investigation, it’s been a time where he has stood back and it’s been a time of reflection,” he said.
He said he, managing director Rob Key and other ECB staff had spoken to Carse several times. “The conclusion is we feel he is in a place where we can introduce him back into an England environment,” North said.
Carse will travel to South Africa later in November. He is in both the red-ball and white-ball Lions squads. The Lions tour will run at the same time as the three-match Test series.
England also called up uncapped Nottinghamshire left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White for the first time. He takes the place of Shoaib Bashir.
Bashir became the youngest England bowler to reach 50 Test wickets. But injuries and poor form cost him a place on last year’s tour of Australia. He bowled in only one of England’s six home Tests this year.
“We look at each Test series in isolation, and we feel Liam gives us the best balance and that spinner for this tour,” North said. He added that England remained “incredibly invested” in Bashir.
The series will be England’s first under red-ball coach Stephen Fleming, who replaced Brendon McCullum.
England’s squad is Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Liam Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue. The first Test starts on 17 December.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.