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Some might be faster, others more talked about, but since making his debut 13 months ago, no England bowler has taken more Test wickets than Brydon Carse.
Aged 30, he is undoubtedly a late developer, but also something of a quiet achiever, happily operating under the radar. Unless asked directly who among the England team is the best player in their new off-field love of padel.
‘Harry Brook thinks he’s better than me, but I am miles better than him,’ Carse tells Daily Mail Sportas he discusses the off-field camaraderie binding England’s squad together ahead of the Ashes. I played quite a bit of tennis growing up.
‘We like to play golf, play padel, go out for brunch. We drink a lot of coffee. I always look forward to getting to Australia, because I really enjoy the beach, being from a coastal city.’
Growing up in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Carse probably wouldn’t have dreamed about playing in Test cricket’s oldest rivalry.
But claiming 36 victims in nine appearances has made him a crucial component of an England attack successfully reconfigured following the retirements of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad over the past two years.
Since making his debut 13 months ago, no England bowler has taken more Test wickets than Brydon Carse
Claiming 36 victims in nine appearances has made him a crucial component of an England attack reconfigured after the retirements of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson
Carse received the acclaim of his teammates after taking six wickets against New Zealand in Christchurch last year
He insists England’s bowling unit are ready to ‘feed off each other’ in the Ashes, which gets underway on November 21
Naturally because of their high-octane displays, attention will focus on Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, but Carse, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue are all part of a collective ‘feeding off each other’ as they plot a first England victory Down Under in 15 years.
‘Since coming last year, our success has been down to the environment that Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have created,’ Carse explains. ‘There was a group of seam bowlers that were probably in a similar sort of position to me, so it felt like we were all in the same boat.
We were all around for the same reason, to buy into the team and try our best to win games of cricket for England.
The group of bowlers we have is quite versatile, and whatever combination we go with throughout this series, there might be slightly different roles to play for me, whether that is with the new ball at times or as the first change.
‘For the majority of my time in Test cricket, it’s been as first change, and then at certain times a bit of an enforcer role, but it’s just about being adaptable, so I’m pretty open to anything, to be honest.’
If the series is, as anticipated, less one-sided than on England’s recent tours Down Under, tail-end runs could be crucial. And in this regard, an onus will fall on Carse – a batsman who bowled until his late teens and a player who averages 30 in first-class cricket – to contribute heavily.
We’ve actually spoken about it as a group of lower-order batters, that we could be the difference in some of the games. Look at some of the guys that potentially could be batting at No. 8, No. 9, even 10.
‘There are first-class hundreds and Gus Atkinson’s got a Test hundred. To be honest, I haven’t heard the end of Gus’ hundred and it’s been over a year now!’
Carse (right) chats to opening batsman Zak Crawley during a nets session in Perth on Tuesday as England ramp up their preparations for next week’s first Test
The 30-year-old is backing England’s lower order to contribute valuable runs Down Under
Carse’s relaxed demeanor has earned him the nickname Chiller. It was a running joke within the team. There were a couple of incidents when guys said to me, “How are you doing?”. And I’d just say, “Pretty chilled today.” It’s stuck.’
So, has he contemplated how easy it will be to keep his cool during the heat of an Ashes series that kicks off in front of a 60,000-strong crowd at Perth’s Optus Stadium from November 21?
It will be pretty hostile, I imagine, but as a player you’ve got to embrace it, enjoy it as best you can. If your 10-year-old self was told that you could experience playing in an Ashes away one day, you’d be snapping that up with both hands. I’m certainly looking forward to the challenge.’
Carse already has a positive experience of first-class cricket in Australia – a rare currency among England’s 2025-26 tourists – after playing in a nine-wicket England Lions win over Australia A under the MCG floodlights in early 2020.
Australian conditions will provide extra bounce for the Durham seamer, but also potentially invite further issues for his gruesome-looking, recurring injury.
Pounding into the crease on the harder terrain of Pakistan and New Zealand last winter resulted in Carse developing a deep laceration under his left pointer toe that reopened whenever he bowled and had him contemplating amputation.
New Balance put an end to talk of such drastic action by redesigning his boots, and repositioning the holes cut in them to relieve pressure on landing – although there were inevitably gasps of concern so close to the five-match Test series against the Australians when in the recent one-dayer against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, a hobbling Carse called for a change of footwear, rejecting back-ups before eventually settling on a satisfactorily comfortable shoe.
Carse has been plagued by a toe injury since pounding into bowls in Pakistan and New Zealand last winter
His heavily bandaged toes in Multan last October – Carse’s gruesome-looking recurring injury even had him considering amputation at one point
‘That was just a slightly older pair that had unfortunately blown through the top,’ he explains.
‘With the certain way that I strap my toes, it’s never going to be perfect, but if they continue to stay the same way as they are now, I’ll be pretty happy.’
Carse’s willingness to push on through pain is as much a reflection of his loyalty to Stokes, his captain, as the competitive genes inherited from his father James, another bowler who played professionally, including a stint with Northamptonshire in the 1980s.
It’s always just been a natural part of me, playing different sports as a kid, always having that edge. And a leader like Ben, who I’m friendly with on and off the field, is someone that you want to replicate, never taking a backward step and leaving everything out there for the side.’
