Unfortunately for Brydon Carse, a line now needs to be drawn in the sand to stamp out the kind of behaviour that continues to make elite professional cricket in England seem utterly unprofessional.
Long before news of Harry Brook getting punched by a Wellington bouncer, Ben Duckett being caught on video seemingly drunk and lost during England’s mid-series “stag do” in Noosa or Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson’s ill-fated night out at Chelsea’s Rex Rooms, there were serious concerns about a drinking culture in the squad.
What’s happened since has not only answered those questions emphatically but now begs the question, why are these guys always getting into trouble on nights out?
It’s actually very hard to get into a fight in a pub or be punched by a bouncer if you are behaving like a reasonable adult. So what is it about these players that is continually getting them into trouble on nights out? And why are so few of them apparently aware that in the age of camera phones, every move they make can be captured for all to see on social media?
A public relations disaster
That’s what happened to Carse in the early hours of Sunday morning when he was filmed being handcuffed by police outside a pub in Derby after celebratory drinks with his Durham team-mates, including former England captain Stokes, following a County Championship win at Derbyshire, seemingly went wrong.
Carse has been dropped from England’s squad for this week’s second Test against Pakistan and is now the subject of separate investigations by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Cricket Regulator.
Stokes (left) and Carse were celebrating a Durham win in Derby (Photo: PA)It has been reported by the Telegraph that the incident at Molly Malone’s Irish Tavern took place around 4am and involved Carse in “a squabble” after he had a drink spilt on him. Contrary to previous reports, the Daily Mail have confirmed Carse was briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly and then de-arrested by Derbyshire Police, who are still looking into what happened.
Regardless of the finer details, the sight of an England centrally-contracted player being led away in handcuffs by police is yet another public relations disaster for the ECB.
‘Just plain stupid’
Carse was released back to Durham after not being named in the XI for the first Test at Headingley. He will have known that although he was not on international duty, his behaviour would still be measured by what is acceptable for an England player.
Even if he is found to have done nothing wrong, the fact he put himself in this situation is just plain stupid.
If he is found to have breached any terms of his ECB contract, then he should never play for England again.
Joe Root (left) had got rid of England’s curfew and stringent alcohol rules after taking over from Stokes (Photo: Getty)Someone needs to be made an example of because up until now the punishments for off-field transgressions have been light.
This is still a big if, of course: Carse may be completely exonerated by the Cricket Regulator and the ECB.
Alcohol rules scrapped by Root
The i Paper understands the tough alcohol guidelines which came into force last month in the wake of the Rex Rooms incident were also scrapped along with the midnight curfew when Joe Root was appointed Test captain.
Players had been formally forbidden from appearing drunk in public during series and no alcohol was to be consumed in public either one day before, during or after matches.
Yet the players still have contractual obligations that require them to behave to the highest of standards. It is understood appearing drunk in public could still breach this.
There is a possible grey area here given Carse was not with England at the time. Yet this needs to be tightened up if it becomes a salient point in the investigations. The ECB have been guilty of being unclear over off-field protocols. Stokes and Atkinson successfully argued that the midnight curfew was not properly communicated to players before the summer began.
There have also been mixed messages about the alcohol clampdown that followed – and has now been shelved – given white-ball coach Brendon McCullum relaxed the rules after England’s ODI series win against India last month.
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Jonathan Agnew: The day I saw Mother Teresa lose her rag Chris Stocks: England’s bowlers look ready for the Ashes – their batters do notClarity needs to be achieved over all of this because the England men’s team are becoming a joke. And it’s not funny.
Root was insistent the players should police themselves and be “grown-ups” after he got rid of the curfew. He and incoming Test coach Stephen Fleming are likely to have taken a dim view of events in Derby and surely now the penny has finally dropped amongst the players that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
English professional cricket is currently coming across as unserious and unprofessional. These types of incidents are making the team a laughing stock.
Carse has plenty of questions to answer. He is not some naïve kid – he’s 31 years old. Whatever happens, the ECB have a duty of care to help him with whatever issues he may be grappling with.
But if found to have stepped out of line in Derby, they should ensure he never plays for England again.
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