Even by Bazball standards, the rise of Brydon Carse is an unlikely story. Less than three months ago, the end of a ban for gambling violations was approaching. Now in New Zealand he looks to be the leader of England’s Test attack.
His growth as a person and a cricketer began during his time off after the ECB discovered that he had placed more than 300 bets on cricket matches between 2017 and 2019.
It was, he admitted, a ‘stupid mistake’ that earned him a point for the first time in his career.
But growth accelerated beyond recognition during England’s recent Test tour of Pakistan, where his nine wickets at 24 apiece made him the most dangerous seamer on either side. With better luck and more support from his butter-fingered fielders, he might have bowled his team to a series victory.
Most importantly, Carse – who has already impressed in 19 ODIs and two T20 internationals dating back to 2021 – has learned that he has what it takes to succeed at the highest level, and the realization has sharpened his focus.
England go into the Ashes next winter with a plan to attack Australia quickly, and Carse plans to lead the way.
Brydon Carse (pictured) only made his Test debut last month but now looks set to lead England’s bowling attack
Carse was the standout bowler during England’s tour of Pakistan as he took nine wickets
Carse has repaid Brendon McCullum’s trust after serving a gambling ban earlier this year
His debut last month in Multan was an oven in more ways than one. Temperatures touched 40 degrees Celsius and after Pakistan won the toss and batted first on a featherbed, Carse could only put his feet up after tea on the second day, with a score of 556.
“When we finally knocked Pakistan out,” he tells Mail Sport, “Ben Stokes put his arm around me and said, ‘I promise you it won’t be more difficult than this from the circumstances point of view.’ The wicket was flat and it was brutal.
“But when he went into that first test, Brendon McCullum had complete confidence in my abilities. He said, ‘Just go out there and do what you do best. Don’t worry about how many runs you’ll do. Just create chances and try to take wickets”. It was very simple and that’s the way I like to play cricket – with clarity.
‘I wouldn’t say I surprised myself, but it gave me a lot of confidence. If I can do that under these circumstances, hopefully it will put me in a good place for the different situations I face.”
Carse troubled all Pakistanis, not least Mohammad Rizwan, whose wicket he took three times.
But perhaps the lasting image is the roar of desperation that greeted two drops in three balls from his bowling at a crucial moment of the second Test, allowing Salman Agha to play the game’s decisive innings.
“No one is planning on dropping the catches,” he says. ‘But two in three balls was probably not what I expected. In a funny way, it gave me even more motivation to keep running.” It’s an attitude that should serve him well when the going gets tough in Australia.
Carse wants to be part of a ‘massive year’ that also includes a five-Test series with India, and believes he has the attributes – length, pace and resilience – to thrive on the pitches in Australia.
“Sure,” he says. “They are known for having a bit more baggage and I went on a Lions trip at the end of 2019. It was my first time in Australia and we had a very successful tour. If I do my best there, I can have an impact.’
Other bowlers may have disappeared into the airwaves after being hit with a three-month ban that left Carse out of cricket for much of last summer.
But when he turned 29, he used the breather as a reset — a mid-career break that allowed him to improve his game. He worked first on his fitness and then on his cricket skills, with the help of Durham bowling coach Graham Onions.
“I have been used at times as an impact bowler for short, sharp spells and I know I can fulfill that role,” he says. “But I said to Graham, ‘Let’s work on some other things too.’
Carse made his debut on a ‘flat and brutal’ pitch for bowlers but never stopped looking for wickets
Ben Stokes (right) told Carse that conditions would not get tougher in his career, and he now has his sights set on playing in next year’s Ashes in Australia.
“So I worked on my inswinger and on being consistent in holding the top-of-the-stumps length – the length that Jimmy Anderson bowled for so many years – because I have the skill to do that too.”
Carse was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where his parents still live. His father, James, played for Northamptonshire in 1983 and it was his British passport that introduced Brydon to the English cricketing routes.
He spent the summer of 2014 playing for Burnmoor in the Durham Cricket League and was quickly embraced by the county set-up. It became clear that England, not South Africa, would be his cricket home.
His time off gave him a renewed sense of purpose and a sense of indebtedness to his club and adopted country.
‘I felt like, for the first time in my career, I had something to prove. This is what I want to do and this is the level I want to play at. I wanted to give something back to Durham and the ECB because they stuck by me. That was a big drive to try to perform.”
Success in New Zealand over the next three weeks should set him up well for a year that not so long ago seemed out of reach.