Brydon Carse axed from England's Edgbaston Test squad amid police probe
Synopsis
Brydon Carse's police investigation has cost him a second consecutive Test place, while Pakistan head into Edgbaston having sacked their head coach and dropped seven players — including Mohammad Rizwan — after two crushing defeats. England, chasing a 3-0 sweep, have the series won; what happens off the field may define this final Test as much as what happens on it.
Key Takeaways
Brydon Carse , 31 , has been excluded from England's squad for the third Test at Edgbaston starting 9 September , as a Derbyshire Police assault investigation continues following his 22 August arrest.
Uncapped pacer Sonny Baker , 23 , retains his place after replacing Carse ahead of the Lord's Test; Matthew Fisher is the only player dropped this time.
England hold an unassailable 2-0 series lead , with wins by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and 194 runs at Lord's.
Pakistan have dropped seven players including Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq , called up five uncapped cricketers , and parted ways with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed .
White-ball coach Mike Hesson steps in to lead Pakistan for the final Test.
England may rotate Jofra Archer , Gus Atkinson , and Josh Tongue ahead of six white-ball games against Sri Lanka.
Fast bowler Brydon Carse has been excluded from England's 15-man squad for the third and final Test against Pakistan, scheduled to begin at Edgbaston, Birmingham on 9 September, as he continues to face a police investigation following his arrest in Derby. The 31-year-old's omission marks his second consecutive Test absence and comes despite a county-level return for Durham.
The Investigation Behind the Omission
Carse was first dropped from the squad for the second Test at Lord's after being arrested on 22 August outside a nightclub. Derbyshire Police confirmed they are investigating allegations of assault. Although Carse featured for Durham in their County Championship victory over Gloucestershire last week, national selectors have not recalled him, and he was also absent from Durham's subsequent fixture against Northamptonshire.
Who Takes His Place
Uncapped pacer Sonny Baker, 23, retains his spot in the squad after stepping in ahead of the Lord's Test as Carse's replacement. Fast bowler Matthew Fisher is the only player dropped from the squad this time around. Baker's sole Test appearance to date came against New Zealand at The Oval in June.
Notably, with six white-ball fixtures against Sri Lanka to follow the Test series, England's management may rotate key seamers Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, and Josh Tongue. That rotation dynamic could create opportunities for Baker, seamer Sam Cook, or off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Cook, 29, earned his only Test cap against Zimbabwe last summer, while Bashir has yet to feature in the current Pakistan series as England has fielded an all-pace bowling unit.
England's Series Dominance
England head into the final Test with an unassailable 2-0 series lead, targeting a 3-0 sweep. Their victories have been emphatic — a win by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley, followed by a 194-run demolition at Lord's. The Edgbaston Test represents an opportunity for England to seal a clean-sweep series result on home soil.
Pakistan's Turbulent Build-Up
Pakistan, meanwhile, arrive at Edgbaston in considerable disarray following their back-to-back heavy defeats. The touring side has dropped seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, and Khurram Shahzad. They have also called up five uncapped cricketers and parted ways with head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, with white-ball coach Mike Hesson stepping in to take charge ahead of the final match.
England's Full 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.
With England's squad settled and Pakistan in flux, the final Test at Edgbaston on 9 September is set to be a one-sided contest on paper — though Pakistan's desperate reshuffling could yet produce an unpredictable response.
Point of View
But the precedent is significant. Meanwhile, Pakistan's decision to drop Rizwan and sack Sarfaraz Ahmed mid-series looks less like a reset and more like panic — five uncapped players in a final Test against a side in dominant form is a gamble that could accelerate decline rather than arrest it. The real story at Edgbaston may not be England's pursuit of a sweep, but whether Pakistan's crisis management signals a deeper structural failure in their cricket administration.
NationPress
2 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Brydon Carse been left out of England's Test squad?
Brydon Carse has been excluded from England's squad for the third Test against Pakistan because he remains under police investigation following his arrest on 22 August outside a nightclub in Derby. Derbyshire Police confirmed they are investigating allegations of assault, and national selectors have not recalled him despite his return to county cricket with Durham.
Who replaces Brydon Carse in England's squad for the Edgbaston Test?
Uncapped pacer Sonny Baker, 23, retains his place in the squad after having already replaced Carse ahead of the Lord's Test. Baker's only Test appearance so far came against New Zealand at The Oval in June.
What is England's current series lead against Pakistan?
England hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. They won the first Test at Headingley by an innings and 103 runs and the second at Lord's by 194 runs, and are targeting a 3-0 sweep at Edgbaston.
What changes has Pakistan made ahead of the final Test?
Pakistan have dropped seven players including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, and Khurram Shahzad. They have called up five uncapped cricketers and sacked head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, with white-ball coach Mike Hesson stepping in for the Edgbaston Test.
When and where is the third England vs Pakistan Test being played?
The third and final Test of the series begins on 9 September at Edgbaston in Birmingham. England lead the series 2-0 and are chasing a historic 3-0 clean sweep on home soil.
