CRICKET REGULATOR CHARGES BRYDON CARSE OVER DERBY ARREST

Brydon Carse has been charged with improper conduct by the Cricket Regulator following an investigation into his arrest during a night out with Durham teammates in Derby, the regulator said on Friday. He was arrested in the early hours of 23 August on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, and was handcuffed before being de-arrested after agreeing to leave. Derbyshire Police investigated an assault allegation but closed the case without further action in September. The regulator said Carse had been charged with breaching regulation 3.2 of the ECB's conduct rules, with the case referred to the Cricket Discipline Panel for a hearing in the coming weeks.

Regulation 3.2 bars conduct that is improper or prejudicial to the interests of cricket, or that could bring the game into disrepute, the regulator said. Sanctions available to the panel include a warning, suspension or financial penalties. Carse has 12 months left on his ECB contract and faces no separate action from his employers. The regulator took similar action this year against Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell, who were warned over drinking in a Wellington bar before a one-day international against New Zealand.

Carse was dropped from England's Test squad for the second and third Tests against Pakistan in August. He was then left out of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka and the tri-series squad named this month. White-ball captain Harry Brook said last month that Carse needed "time away" from international cricket, after Test captain Joe Root voiced "frustration" at his decision-making. Carse remains available for selection, and the case is unlikely to conclude before new coach Stephen Fleming names the squad for a Test tour of South Africa in December.