England have left the door open for Brydon Carse to return to the Test side after the fast bowler was called up to the 15-man Lions squad for their tour of South Africa. The 31-year-old was dropped from the Test squad midway through their summer series against Pakistan after he was arrested and later de-arrested following an incident outside a Derby nightclub in August. Derbyshire police ended their investigation into the incident in September, but Carse was later charged by the Cricket Regulator and is yet to learn his fate.
England national selector Marcus North confirmed Carse is in a place where he can rejoin the England environment, stating the Lions is the right place for him. North also revealed Carse could fill in for Josh Tongue, who is ruled out of the first Test in Johannesburg due to a toe injury and the birth of his second child. This would leave England with 14 players for the opening match.
North insisted Shoaib Bashir still has a big international future, but dropping him for the South Africa tour marks a definite change of direction. Bashir was fast-tracked into the Test side by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. North emphasized the Lions program provides a strong bowling group, enabling England to be as informed as possible should they need to bring players into the Test squad.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing