
England seamer Brydon Carse could miss theICC Champions Trophy 2025 entirely with a toe injury, per the latest reports. Carse missed England’s training on Monday (Feb 24) and is sure to sit out of the must-win game against Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Even though Carse played through England’s tournament opener against Australia, which they lost by five wickets, his spell of 69/1 in seven overs, going over 9.85, indicated he was in discomfort with the same injury, which needed constant care throughout his career.
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It all began during the recent white-ball series in India, where his toe injury required stitches, for which he sat out of the final two ODIs. However, the latest reports have suggested that it has now worsened and may require further treatment. It has at least ruled him out of England’s remaining two league matches—against Afghanistan (in Lahore) and South Africa (in Karachi) on Saturday.
"We will have to wait and see," Joe Root said in a chat with BBC Sport. "There is still a good way out from the game, to find exactly what is up with Carsey. We will see how things pan out over the next few days."
Meanwhile, Carse’s injury could open doors for one of Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, or Saqib Mahmood, with the all-rounder Overton, who possesses similar skill sets, likely to get the nod ahead of the two seamers.
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Besides, should Carse get ruled out of the first showpiece event of the year, the ECB might have to apply for his replacement to be flown in; however, with no specific instructions of a like-to-like replacement required, like in the case of a concussion substitute, rookie leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed is understood to be leading the race.
Should that happen, Rehan’s inclusion in the 15-man squad would boost their spin attack, where veteran Adil Rashid is being picked as the sole frontline spinner for the tournament.
England’s 15-man Champions Trophy squad –
Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt and Mark Wood
(With inputs from agencies)