Birmingham, Sep 2 (IANS) Fast bowler Brydon Carse has been left out of England’s 15-man squad for the third and final Test against Pakistan, starting at Edgbaston on September 9, as he remains under police investigation following an arrest in Derby.
Carse, 31, was omitted from the second Test at Lord’s after being arrested on August 22 outside a nightclub. Derbyshire police confirmed they are investigating allegations of assault.
Despite playing for Durham in their County Championship victory over Gloucestershire last week, Carse was not selected for their ongoing fixture against Northamptonshire and has not been recalled by national selectors.
Uncapped pacer Sonny Baker, 23, retains his spot in the squad after replacing Carse ahead of the Lord’s Test. Fast bowler Matthew Fisher is the only player dropped from the squad as England aim to complete a 3-0 series sweep in Birmingham. England have an unassailable 2- 0 series lead following a victory by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and a thumping 194-run win at Lord’s.
With six white-ball games against Sri Lanka coming up once the Test series is over, England management could rotate key seamers Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, and Josh Tongue. That dynamic could open the door for Baker, seamer Sam Cook, or off-spinner Shoaib Bashir to feature at Edgbaston.
Cook, 29, earned his single Test cap against Zimbabwe last summer, while Bashir has yet to feature in the current series as England has favoured an all-pace bowling unit. Baker’s sole Test appearance came against New Zealand at The Oval in June.
Pakistan, meanwhile, face further uncertainty after taking drastic measures following their heavy back-to-back defeats. The visitors have dropped seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, and Khurram Shahzad, called up five uncapped cricketers, and parted ways with their head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed ahead of the final Test, with white-ball coach Mike Hesson stepping in.
England squad: Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, and Josh Tongue.
–IANS
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