Josh Tongue says Joe Root’s dressing-room address on off-field conduct has “100%” landed, with England’s players told in blunt terms what the captain expects of them before Thursday’s second Rothesay Test against Pakistan at Lord’s.
Root called the squad together before training on Tuesday, four days after Brydon Carse was briefly detained outside a Derby nightclub on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly. Carse, 31, has been referred to the Cricket Regulator, removed from the Lord’s squad and replaced by 23-year-old Hampshire seamer Sonny Baker. Root described himself as “hacked off” by the episode — one that arrived barely 48 hours after his side had thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs inside three days at Headingley.
“It was a chat that was needed, a very good chat from Rooty,” Tongue told BBC Sport. “He was very clear on the message of what it is like to be an England cricketer.” Asked whether the message had been absorbed, the fast bowler did not hedge: “Yeah, 100%. What has happened in the past is the past and we need to try to move on from that.”
A captain who “said it straight”
Root’s intervention was notable for its directness. “We had a chat before training yesterday, as Joe said,” Tongue said. “It was a very good conversation and he made it clear what he expects from us. He’s been around the England dressing room for plenty of years now — he knows what it takes to be the top professional.”
The captain framed the problem in terms of public credit rather than punishment. “In many ways we’re going to have to earn a lot of trust back,” Root said. “Clearly we’re not portraying ourselves as we want to. We want supporters to look at us and revere, not just what we do on the field but off it as well.” He added that the group had a chance to “build something that lives alongside what we achieved last week on the field”.
Tongue is not a detached observer. He was alongside Harry Brook in Wellington when England’s white-ball captain was punched by a nightclub bouncer, though Tongue was cleared of any wrongdoing as he was not in the matchday squad. “I just tried to move on from that situation,” he said. “Things have been happening off the field, but I’ve been personally trying to forget about it and play as best I can for England.”
Ten months, four incidents, one pattern
The Carse arrest is the latest entry in an increasingly crowded file. Over the past 10 months England have dealt with the Brook incident in Wellington, Ben Duckett appearing intoxicated on a night out during the Ashes tour of Australia, and Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson being stood down from the second Test against New Zealand after breaking curfew following an incident at a London nightclub.
That last case produced the ECB’s July behaviour guidelines, including a midnight curfew signed off by managing director Rob Key. Root scrapped it when he took charge this summer, preferring to treat the squad as adults rather than police them. Carse’s night out in Derby tested that decision within a fortnight — which is precisely why the captain’s response mattered more than a written rule would have. Root has staked his authority on trust rather than enforcement, and Tongue’s answer is the first public evidence that the bet is being honoured inside the dressing room.
England’s recent off-field file includes:
- Brydon Carse — detained outside a Derby nightclub, referred to the Cricket Regulator, withdrawn from the Lord’s squad
- Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson — stood down from a Test against New Zealand after a curfew breach
- Harry Brook — punched by a bouncer in Wellington before an ODI
- Ben Duckett — appeared intoxicated on a night out during the Ashes
Lord’s, and the series Tongue has never won
The cricket offers the cleanest route back. England, under Stephen Fleming in his first summer as Test head coach, dismantled Pakistan at Headingley — bowling the tourists out for 171 and 135 either side of their own 409. Tongue’s three-wicket burst after lunch on the third day, including the wicket of Shan Masood for 29, ended any hope of a fourth. He finished with 3-43 as England’s four-pronged pace attack overwhelmed a brittle batting line-up.
Remarkably, Tongue has 65 wickets in 13 Tests at 27.38 and has still never been part of an England side that won a Test series — his career interrupted repeatedly by injury and, latterly, by matches his team failed to close out. “It’d be amazing to win a series,” he said. “We’ve just got to focus, make sure we play our best cricket, be nice and relaxed out there and hopefully get over the line.”
England are expected to name an unchanged XI at Lord’s, with Baker held in reserve. Pakistan will be strengthened by the likely return of Babar Azam, who missed Headingley with a hand injury. A 2-0 lead would give Root the series win that eluded him across the closing 17 Tests of his first captaincy stint — and, more immediately, would let England argue their conduct and their cricket are finally pointing the same way.
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Sources: [Yahoo Sports — Tongue on Root’s message](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/josh-tongue-reveals-joe-root-114916015.html) · [Sky Sports — Root urges side to “earn back trust”](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/13577330/england-captain-joe-root-urges-side-to-earn-back-trust-of-nation-following-brydon-carse-incident-ahead-of-second-pakistan-test) · [Sky Sports — Carse withdrawn, Cricket Regulator investigation](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/13576549/brydon-carse-to-miss-englands-second-test-vs-pakistan-as-cricket-regulator-conducts-investigation-into-nightclub-incident) · [Express Tribune — Tongue quotes and incident timeline](https://tribune.com.pk/story/2625971/Skipper-lays-down-the-law-as-England-seek-to-end-off-field-woes) · [ICC — England alter squad for second Test](https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/england-alter-squad-for-second-test-against-pakistan) · [ESPNcricinfo — 1st Test match report](https://www.cricinfo.com/series/pakistan-tour-in-england-2026-1496563/england-vs-pakistan-1st-test-1496582/match-report) · [TNT Sports — Fleming appointed Test head coach](https://www.tntsports.co.uk/cricket/stephen-fleming-england-brendon-mccullum-test-coach_sto23323799/story.shtml)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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