Root frustrated by Carse incident as England focus shifts

England Test captain Joe Root expressed deep frustration on Tuesday after fast bowler Brydon Carse was removed from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan following a late-night incident in Derby. Carse was briefly detained by police outside a nightclub in the early hours of August 23, just hours after England's victory in the first Test at Headingley. The incident has prompted an investigation by the Cricket Regulator and added to a growing list of off-field controversies involving England players.

Root, who recently resumed the Test captaincy, said he was "really hacked off" that the team's focus had shifted away from cricket. He revealed he had spoken to an "upset and apologetic" Carse and held a "very robust discussion" with the squad upon their arrival in London on Monday. "It's not the isolated incident itself, it's the fact we continuously keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it's detracting from what we are doing on the field," Root said at a press conference at Lord's.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Sunday that the matter had been referred to the independent Cricket Regulator. In a statement, the ECB said Carse would not be...