New Zealand v England: Brydon Carse repays faith with Christchurch haul
Carse Joins Pace Party, Repays England's Trust
Photo credit: Getty Images
Brydon Carse is the first England fast bowler to achieve a 10-wicket haul in an overseas match since 2008.
Head cricket journalist in Christchurch
Brydon Carse was out in the bright Christchurch sunshine, proudly holding his player-of-the-match trophy.
While he was waiting calmly for his next interview, he briefly relaxed his defenses. Suddenly, without any warning, he was knocked to the ground by his England teammate, Harry Brook.
Carse had not made a mistake in four days, and this was the first one.
At 29 years old, he has emerged as England's top bowler this winter season. His impressive achievement of taking 10 wickets in the victory against New Zealand marked the first time in 16 years that an England fast bowler secured such a feat in an away match. So far, Carse has claimed a total of 19 wickets across three Test matches, with nine of those coming from just two games on pitches in Pakistan that offered little assistance.
The man from Durham is the newest success story in England's selection process, but just a few months back, Carse believed his hopes of playing in the Test matches were shattered.
Between 2017 and 2019, a total of 303 bets were made on cricket matches, leading to a three-month suspension from the sport in May. Concerned about what his future held, Carse reached out to his county teammate and England captain Ben Stokes, someone who understands the feeling of facing uncertainty.
"I had many conversations with him and spent a great deal of time with him during that ban," Stokes shared. "When advice comes from someone who understands what it's like to face similar challenges, it carries more weight."
England decided to retain Carse's central contract, and he returned to international duty as soon as he could for the white-ball series against Australia in September.
Carse expressed his immense gratitude to Stokes, stating that he "can't thank him enough." Achieving ten wickets is certainly a significant gesture of appreciation. England has taken care of Carse, and now he is returning the favor by taking care of the team.
Prior to the ban, Carse's journey to join the England Test squad was anything but straightforward. Originally from South Africa, he has the coordinates of his birthplace in Gqeberha, previously known as Port Elizabeth, inked on his arm.
His dad, James, participated in county cricket for Northamptonshire during the 1980s. Carse, who possesses a British passport, became eligible to represent England in 2019. He got his first chance to play for the national team two years later when the entire one-day squad needed to be changed due to a Covid outbreak.
As a member of the Lions team that accompanied the senior squad in Australia during the 2021-22 season, Carse sustained a severe knee injury. This setback dashed his hopes of getting a call-up to the Ashes series midway through.
Had it not been for the ban, he would have been set to make his Test debut last summer; instead, he had to watch Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, and Josh Hull take their opportunities. Now that it's his turn, Carse has truly excelled.
He is another player England sees as having the potential to succeed in Test cricket, even if he hasn't consistently demonstrated that at the first-class level. Before his suspension, Carse had an impressive bowling average of 106 for Durham this season. However, up until the match in Christchurch, he hadn't achieved a five-wicket haul in first-class cricket for over three years.
Carse mentioned that the pitches in county cricket typically lack the bounce that matches his bowling technique. He prefers a more direct approach when delivering the ball.
According to the Cricviz database, which goes back to 2006, there are 156 right-arm fast bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 500 balls in Test matches. Carse, however, pitches the ball closer to the batsman, with an average length of 8.5 meters from the stumps, making his deliveries shorter than those of all his peers.
In Christchurch, just 8% of the balls delivered by Carse in his 38.1 overs would have hit the stumps. By keeping the batters on the back foot, his full-length deliveries become quite threatening. He took three lbws and one bowled among his total of 10 wickets.
Atkinson has had an outstanding year since his first appearance in James Anderson's last Test match, which makes the idea of England playing without Anderson and Stuart Broad seem less daunting. Interestingly, in their total of 151 Tests played outside of England, neither Anderson nor Broad achieved a 10-wicket haul.
If Carse wants to make Stokes' prediction that he will "play for England for a long time" come true, he needs to break away from recent trends.
Since 1990, only seven fast bowlers have debuted for England in Test cricket at an age greater than Carse. Among them, Toby Roland-Jones has the most appearances, totaling four. Carse has the potential to surpass that number by the conclusion of the New Zealand tour.
If all goes well with their fitness, England's group of fast bowlers is becoming quite packed. There's still a lot of drama surrounding Jofra Archer's return to Test cricket, with the latest twist being his contract with the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Considering how well the fast bowlers who are currently fit are performing in Tests, should we question whether Archer, despite his undeniable talent, deserves a spot in England's top team? The version of Archer from 2019 was phenomenal, but it seems unrealistic to expect him to replicate that level of performance after not participating in first-class cricket since 2021.
One bowler expected to make a comeback is Mark Wood, who is sidelined with an elbow injury and won't be back until the new year.
Carse has stepped in to fill the void left by Wood and has bolstered the group of fast bowlers from Durham, which also features Potts and Stokes. Moreover, there are additional talents emerging. Pay attention to 19-year-old Daniel Hogg and 17-year-old James Minto, who are on the rise.
The legacy is impressive: Steve Harmison, Graham Onions, and Liam Plunkett. Carse has collaborated with Onions at Durham and considers Harmison a mentor. They even enjoy playing golf together.
Carse played a key role in England's successful week, achieving several important milestones: Shoaib Bashir, Ollie Pope, and Brook.
The final highlight was the impressive fifty runs off just 37 balls from 21-year-old newcomer Jacob Bethell, proving why England holds him in such high regard. Sporting a hairstyle reminiscent of Pat Butcher and smearing zinc on his cheeks, Bethell resembled a traveler on a gap year trying to impress during a casual Sunday match. He might end the day playing beer pong. It's almost certain he will be included in the lineup for the second Test.
Keep an eye on Stokes' back, as well as how Zak Crawley is performing. The opener hasn't scored 30 or more in his last six innings and has an average of under 10 in 17 matches against New Zealand.
However, as New Zealand heads into the second Test in Wellington, they face additional challenges. In 2023, their major issue at the Basin Reserve was having to follow on, and despite that, they managed to achieve an unforgettable victory by just one run. It would be great to witness another thrilling match like that.
