England’s Brydon Carse, centre, is congratulated by teammates (AP Photo)
The incident had already affected Carse’s international career, with the 31-year-old withdrawn from England’s squad for the three-Test series against Pakistan after details of the matter emerged. Durham won the Division Two clash by 338 runs as they strengthened their promotion push, which they have since successfully completed. He had been part of the squad for the opening Test against Pakistan as a non-playing member before being released to join Durham.
“We are investigating allegations of an assault in Derby city centre,” Derbyshire Police said in a subsequent statement. He had initially travelled with the squad for the first Test at Headingley. Carse had been arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly following a night out with his Durham teammates after their County Championship victory over Derbyshire. “No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is ongoing. That investigation has now been discontinued, meaning Carse will face no charge over the alleged assault. The incident nevertheless came at a costly time for Carse’s England career. Following the emergence of the incident and the subsequent police investigation, he was removed from England’s squad for the rest of the series.
Any decision on Carse’s return to England duty will now be down to the selectors and team management.