Brydon Carse has been charged by Cricket’s Regulator over the incident outside a Derby nightclub but remains available for selection by England.
On the morning of August 23, Karse was arrested and later released. A subsequent investigation into the assault allegations was closed by Derbyshire Police with no action taken against the 31-year-old.
On Friday, the Regulator confirmed that the pace bowler had been charged with breaching the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) professional conduct rules.
“The matter will now be referred to the independent Cricket Disciplinary Panel for a decision,” the Regulator said. “As the process is ongoing, no further comments will be made.”
Carse is alleged to have breached rule 3.2, which states: “No participant shall at any time conduct himself, do any act or omit to act in any manner which is improper or which is likely to prejudice the interests of cricket or to bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or cricketer or cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”
After the Derby controversy, Carse was dropped from the England squad to play Pakistan in the second Test at Lord’s and has not been called up since. He went on to play county cricket for Durham.
On Thursday, he was left out of the squad for the one-day tri-series in Pakistan later this month, with decisions on his inclusion understood to be taken on a tour-by-tour basis.
In response to the regulator’s charge, the ECB said in a statement: “We are aware of the Cricket Regulator’s decision to charge Brydon Carse. Brydon now has the opportunity to respond through the established process.
“As we don’t want to prejudge the result, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
Carse currently has a two-year contract with the England center until the autumn of 2027. The regulator’s charge did not lead to any changes to his contract with England.
Last month, Harry Brook, the white-ball captain and close friend of Carse, said he needed to take a break from the England team.
“I’m very good mates with Carsey,” Brook told BBC Sport. “I’ve talked to him a lot. I think he needs time to step away from the international scene.
“He’s been working on a few things behind the scenes and hopefully will be ready sometime in the future.”
England is backing Carse through the Regulator’s process, although the player has the right to make his own response to the charge.
The derby incident was another late-night drinking row in a year in which England have been plagued by off-field problems.
As a result, Test captain Joe Root said he was “broken” and also appealed to his team to remind them of their responsibilities.
White-ball coach Brendon McCullum said Carse needed to “put his house in order” before returning to the England squad.
And new Test coach Stephen Fleming said the players would be expected to meet the “standards” of England cricketers.
“We pick runs and wickets first, but I think it’s silly not to say there are standards that need to be set,” Fleming said.
“You have to act on your position. We’re in a very privileged position and it’s about understanding that privilege and what comes with it. It can’t be comfortable. You can’t be when it suits you to do the right thing and then not be when you don’t want it to suit you, no.”