An inquiry into claims of violence in Derby city centre related to an incident involving England fast bowler Brydon Carse has been launched by Derbyshire Police. On August 26, 2026, the force said that the investigation is still ongoing and that no arrests have been made.
Carse was spotted in handcuffs outside a Derbyshire pub where he was having a good time with a number of his Durham teammates, including former England Test captain Ben Stokes. Carse was then removed from the second Test team for the match against Pakistan, which begins on Thursday, August 27, at Lord’s.
According to the Guardian, the England pacer was denied admittance at Molly Malone’s Irish Tavern in Derby at around four in the morning, and the Derbyshire police handcuffed him for a short while before releasing him. After an “exchange of words” with someone in public who apparently spilt a drink on him, he departed. It is now unclear whether Carse is connected to the alleged assault case that the police are looking into.
BBC quotes the police as saying, “A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly in Derby city centre on Saturday night. However the man was de-arrested shortly afterwards having agreed to leave the area. We are investigating allegations of an assault in Derby city centre.”
During the Ashes tour of Australia, England faced criticism for reportedly drinking during a mid-series break in Noosa, where Ben Duckett was observed to be fully inebriated. Before that, Harry Brook was reprimanded for an incident that occurred in a New Zealand nightclub.
Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were recently punished for their celebrations following England’s victory over New Zealand in the first Test of the summer. Ben Stokes stated that “cricket has a culture that is associated with alcohol” on a podcast earlier this month after retiring soon after.
