England have named Brydon Carse in their Lions squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, opening the door for the pace bowler to return to Test cricket. Carse, who has not played for England since the fifth Ashes Test in January, could be called into the Test squad as cover for Josh Tongue, who will miss the series opener to attend the birth of his second child.
Opportunity for Carse
Carse's inclusion comes after a challenging period. He was arrested outside a nightclub in Derby in August, though Derbyshire Police have since ended their investigation into a potential assault. However, the Cricket Regulator has charged Carse, and a verdict is still pending. Despite this, Carse has continued to play for Durham and has remained available for selection. England selector Marcus North explained the decision: "The past few months, under investigation, there has been a time where he has stood back, a time of reflection. It's obviously been a challenging time for Brydon, it's one that we haven't felt that the demands of playing international cricket and what he was dealing with wasn't necessarily right for Brydon or for us. There have been numerous conversations over this period. The conclusion is we feel he is in a place where we feel we can introduce him back into the England environment and we feel the Lions is the right place for him to come."
Tongue's Absence
Tongue is also missing England's one-day series in Australia with a toe injury and is due to see a specialist in the UK. Depending on the status of his injury, he could play in England's only warm-up game ahead of the South Africa Tests before returning home for the birth, leaving the tourists a seamer light. Carse will compete with other Lions seamers Henry Crocombe, Olly Stone, Matthew Fisher, Eddie Jack, Matthew Potts and Mitchell Stanley for the chance to cover for Tongue. North confirmed England will call up "one or two" players to the senior squad, saying: "This is where I feel using the Lions tour to our advantage - we have a very strong bowling group in that Lions programme. That enables us to have a look at where they are at, under competition and training."
Patterson-White Replaces Bashir
In another notable move, England have dropped off-spinner Shoaib Bashir from the Test squad and called up uncapped Nottinghamshire left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White for the first time. Bashir, 23, was fast-tracked into the England team and became the youngest England bowler to reach 50 Test wickets. However, a broken hand and a lack of form meant he was not picked during last winter's 4-1 defeat in Australia, and conditions meant he bowled in only one of England's six home Tests during the past summer. North said: "Our investment hasn't changed. He is still a very young man, he is someone who we still have a very positive outlook for. We look at each Test series in isolation, and we feel Liam gives us the best balance and that spinner for this tour. We continue to be incredibly invested in Shoaib over the winter." Patterson-White, who turned 28 on Sunday, was the leading spinner in Division One of the County Championship last season with 42 wickets and has three first-class hundreds to his name.
New Era Under Fleming
The tour of South Africa will be England's first under new head coach Stephen Fleming. With the white-ball team currently in Perth preparing for the first one-day against Australia on Friday, Fleming travelled from his home in New Zealand to meet with the rest of the management and select the Test squad. Jacob Bethell returns to the Test team for the first time since July following a knee injury. His return creates congestion in the top order after Emilio Gay and Jordan Cox both featured in the 3-0 home win over Pakistan, with North confirming England are yet to settle on their top six for the first Test against South Africa. All-rounder Sam Curran, touted as a potential replacement for former captain Ben Stokes, was not considered because he is getting married. The wedding was planned before Stokes announced his international retirement during the summer.
The Test squad will arrive in South Africa in different groups, with some joining the Lions in late November and others after returning to the UK following their part in the three one-dayers in Australia. From the Test players who are also involved in the T20 series in Australia, white-ball captain Harry Brook, Bethell and Cox will miss the fifth and final match of the series in order to travel to South Africa. In Brook's absence, all-rounder Will Jacks will captain England for the first time.
