England's Test skipper Joe Root speaks about Brydon Carse's nightclub incident

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England’s skipper Joe Root said that he is extremely annoyed with his teammate Brydon Carse’s bar incident. The skipper also said that he was concerned about his teammate as a person after he learnt about his arrest.

“If I’m being brutally honest, I’m really hacked off. I’m really disappointed that after last week’s performance, we sat here and we’re talking about something nothing related to it at all. In terms of the incident itself, it’s obviously with the Regulator. There’s not a lot I can say on it. It’s in their hands now. I’ve spoken to Brydon. When I first found out, my first concern was him as a person, as someone I’ve spent a lot of time with [and who has] been involved in this dressing-room,” he said as quoted by Cricinfo.

Carse was filmed in handcuffs while celebrating Durham’s victory over Derbyshire on Saturday night. Police confirmed on Monday that the fast bowler had been briefly arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly before being de-arrested.

The veteran batsman also said that the pacer is upset and understands his action.

“You obviously develop personal relationships with players, and I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn by saying he’s very upset, very apologetic, and understands his actions. I’m sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself. It’s not the isolated incident itself. It’s the fact that we continually keep making stupid mistakes away from the game, and it’s detracting from what we’re doing on the field,” said Root.

Following the incident, the England Cricket Board (ECB) has ruled Carse out of the selection for the second Test match against Pakistan. The board has named Sonny Bake as his replacement in England’s squad.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s Test captain Babar Azam is set to make his return in the playing XI. He was seen batting during the net session following a finger injury in the previous month.

According to Cricinfo, Pakistan’s bowling coach Umar Gul said that the right-handed batsman completed a full batting session during the practice and looked in fine touch while facing fast bowlers, spinners and throwdowns.

Earlier, the 31-year-old cricketer sustained an injury to his finger during the series against the West Indies in the Caribbean last month. In the ongoing series against the “Three Lions”, Babar’s return would provide a major boost to Pakistan’s batting. The team’s batting line-up was seen struggling against the English bowlers in the first Test match at Headingley. England bowled Pakistan out twice in less than 86 overs as the visitors suffered a heavy defeat.

ENG vs PAK 2nd Test: Match’s dates and venue

The second Test match between England and Pakistan is scheduled to be played from August 27 to 31 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in the City of Westminster.

(With ANI Inputs)

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