Joe Root ‘really hacked off’ by latest England drinking drama

Angry England captain Joe Root declared himself “really hacked off” by the latest drinking drama to engulf his side, claiming they must now work hard to regain public trust.

Pace bowler Brydon Carse was removed from the squad for this week’s second Test against Pakistan after joining a growing list of contracted players who have involved in alcohol-related incidents in the past year.

Carse was detained by police on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly outside a nightclub on Saturday night after celebrating Durham’s County Championship win over Derbyshire alongside team-mates including former England skipper Ben Stokes and seamer Matthew Potts.

He was subsequently cut by England for Thursday’s match at Lord’s, with an investigation under way by the independent Cricket Regulator.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed cricket news you need, subscribe to The Cricket Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day

FOLLOW OUR LIVE SCORES CENTRE

Hacked off

But for the England and Wales Cricket Board, and Root, it was another staggering but familiar setback.

Stokes’ shock international retirement came after he and Gus Atkinson were stood down for a Test after breaching contractual obligations on a late night out in London at the start of the summer.

A boozy beach break in Noosa was widely pilloried as symptomatic of a dismal Ashes campaign and white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer in Wellington last October while drinking the night before a one-day international against New Zealand.

Reacting to the latest disciplinary flare-up, which broke just days after Root announced the abolition of a midnight curfew, Root said: “If I’m being brutally honest I’m really hacked off.

“I’m really disappointed that, after last week’s performance (winning by an innings at Headingley), we’re sat here and we’re talking about something that is not related to it at all.

“I’ve spoken to Brydon and when I first found out my first concern was him as a person.

“I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn in saying he’s very upset, very apologetic and understands his actions.

“I’m sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself.

“But 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.”

Trust

As for the wider reputational damage sustained over several months, Root admitted he had a battle to win back hearts and minds.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, but in many ways we are going to have to earn a lot of trust back,” he said.

“Clearly we are not portraying ourselves how we want to. In terms of the curfew, I still don’t believe that’s the way to go.

“It’s important we create something bigger than that, it’s about having something long lasting that we can be proud of, that we can pass on to the next generation of players for them to evolve and be proud of.

“I might only be in this dressing room for a couple more years, maybe a bit longer than that, but there’s a group of players that are going to be around for the next 10 years, and they can live and breathe something and achieve something over that period of time. This is where that can start.

“I’m not trying to sit here and ask people to be saints.

“Everyone’s going to make mistakes at the odd time. But it’s understanding where we currently sit and what’s expected of England players.”

Raise their game

Root faced just a couple of questions on cricket matters, a reflection of the interest surrounding the team’s behaviour as well as Pakistan’s lack of competitiveness in the series opener.

“We know the individual brilliance that lies within that team and what Pakistan are capable of collectively,” Root eventually offered.

“We also know that whenever we play anyone at Lord’s, they generally raise their game.

“This group won’t be taking anything for granted in that respect.”

READ MORE: Brydon Carse withdrawn from England squad to face Pakistan after nightclub incident