England prospect Jack Carson banned for attempted trip on batsman and three other players suspended after Sussex hit with 12 point penalty for ill-discipline, leaving their promotion hopes in tatters

Jack Carson has admitted he ‘crossed the line’ after poor discipline saw Sussex earn a 12-point deduction, which appears to have ruined their prospects of promotion from LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two.

Carson, the highly rated England Lions spinner who could be in contention for next year’s Test tour of India, was given a level-2 fixed penalty by the match referee after last week’s win over Leicestershire.

Footage from the match suggests a possible attempt to trip opposing batsman Ben Cox at the bowler’s end could be the reason, while teammate Tom Haines was also hit with a minor level one offence.

That takes Sussex to four in a season, triggering the points deduction, leaving them 30 behind second-placed Worcestershire with two games to play.

Carson and Haines have both been banned from playing against Derbyshire this week by Sussex, who have also withdrawn bowler Ari Karvelas ‘until an investigation into an incident in the Leicestershire match is completed’.

Sussex captain Cheteshwar Pujara was handed an automatic one-match ban

Star Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, meanwhile, is paying the price for his role as captain during the violations and has also been handed an automatic one-match ban by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

“In the heat of the previous match against Leicestershire, my desperation to compete and ultimately win the match caused me to cross the line into what is considered acceptable within the spirit of cricket,” Carson said in a statement.

‘I would like to apologize to my teammates and all our Sussex supporters for my actions during the match. “I intend to learn from the experience and conduct myself in the right way, without losing my determination to participate in all competitions and represent the club at the same time.”

Haines also showed remorse, saying: ‘I would like to apologize to all Sussex supporters for crossing the line regarding discipline on the pitch. It came from pure passion to compete and help the team win the game. This is something I will learn from and channel better into future games for Sussex.”

Head coach Paul Farbrace, the former England assistant, gave a stern assessment of recent events.

“Following the decision by the officials and the match referee to charge both players with level one and two offenses on the pitch, we had to take a stand and show that we will not tolerate such behaviour,” he said.

“It is a great shame that these incidents have tarnished a fantastic match against Leicestershire and all the hard work that has gone into the season.”