England Omit Carse as Edgbaston Test Approaches
England will go for the clean sweep against Pakistan at Edgbaston without Brydon Carse, as the Durham seamer remains frozen out of the Test set-up while an assault investigation continues.
The 31-year-old, briefly arrested after an incident outside a Derby nightclub on 22 August, was dropped for the second Test at Lord’s and has now been omitted from the squad for the third and final match in Birmingham, which starts on Wednesday, 9 September at 11:00 BST. Derbyshire police say their investigation into the allegations is ongoing.
Baker stays, Fisher goes
Sonny Baker, the 23-year-old who came in for Carse at Lord’s, keeps his place in a 15-man group that is otherwise largely untouched. Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher is the only other casualty, left out as England look to finish the job and seal a series whitewash over Pakistan.
Baker has just one Test cap to his name, earned in a heavily rotated side against New Zealand at The Oval in June, but he now finds himself firmly in the frame again. His raw pace and willingness to hit the deck have clearly impressed enough to survive the latest cut.
Sam Cook and Shoaib Bashir also remain in the squad, waiting for a crack at this series. Cook, 29, played his solitary Test against Zimbabwe last summer and has since been viewed as one of the most reliable seamers on the county circuit. Bashir, 22, has yet to feature in this campaign, with England opting for an all-seam attack so far.
Workload questions over Archer, Atkinson and Tongue
The selection has been made with one eye on what comes next. Six white-ball matches against Sri Lanka follow hot on the heels of the Test series, and that schedule hangs over the fast-bowling plans like a warning light on the dashboard.
Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue are all named in the Test squad and all three are central to England’s limited-overs plans. Management may choose to rotate them at Edgbaston, opening the door for Baker, Cook or Bashir to shoulder more of the load if the series position allows.
England have been ruthless with their pace battery in this campaign, leaning on depth and variety. The temptation to keep rolling with the same firepower is obvious. So is the risk.
Carse in limbo
Carse, meanwhile, sits in a curious middle ground. He remains available for Durham and underlined his quality with match figures of 4-95 in their win over Gloucestershire last week. Yet when Durham named their XI for the match against Northamptonshire, which began on Wednesday, he was not included.
For now, his international prospects are on hold. The investigation continues, the selectors move on, and a bowler who had nudged his way into England’s plans finds himself watching from the outside.
Pakistan rip it up before Edgbaston
If England’s changes are measured, Pakistan’s are nothing short of dramatic.
Ahead of the Edgbaston Test, Pakistan have dropped seven players, called up five uncapped names and parted company with their head coach. Sarfaraz Ahmed has been replaced by Pakistan white-ball coach Mike Hesson, who now steps into a dressing room jolted by sweeping alterations.
Muhammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman and Khurram Shahzad – all involved in the series so far – are among those axed as Pakistan attempt a shock reset on English soil.
England, chasing a clean sweep with a settled core and a few selection puzzles, face a Pakistan side that has torn up its script on the eve of the final act.
Edgbaston will reveal which gamble pays off.
