England's Brydon Carse banned for anti-corruption breach

The Durham seamer is unavailable until late August following an investigation by The Cricket Regulator. The action has provoked support from the ECB

Brydon Carse, the England and Durham bowling all-rounder, has been banned for 16 months for betting on cricket matches.

An investigation found that between 2017 and 2019 he placed 303 bets on a number of matches, though none involving himself.

Thirteen months of his penalty have been suspended for two years. He is effectively banned from May 28, 2024 to August 28, 2024, ruling him out of a large portion of the rest of the English summer.

Reasons for the sanction being reduced include fully co-operating with the investigation and demonstrating "significant remorse for his actions".

The Cricket Regulator, established in December 2023 following a recommendation in the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report, also took into account "other significant mitigating factors".

Carse has played three times for Durham this summer (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Carse, 28, has enjoyed a fruitful career at Durham and made the first of 17 England white-ball international appearances in 2021. Though currently on a two-year central contract which began last October, he is not part of the team's T20 World Cup plans.

Rules are strict around all participants, including players, coaches and support staff, being barred from betting on cricket in any part of the world.

Dave Lewis, Interim Director of the Cricket Regulator, said: "The Cricket Regulator takes any breach of integrity or misconduct rules seriously and I would encourage any participant, from within the professional game, who has gambled on cricket to come forward and not wait to be discovered.

"The Cricket Regulator understands the many challenges participants can face and will handle cases fairly, with understanding and support for anyone who wishes to come forward.

Carse replaced Reece Topley in England's Cricket World Cup squad last year but did not feature (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

"We also encourage any participant struggling with any welfare concerns to seek assistance from the PCA or other trusted professional source."

In a statement following the news, the ECB issued its support for the action.

"We take these matters extremely seriously and do not condone any form of anti-corruption breach in cricket," he said.

"We support the Cricket Regulator's decision and their consideration of the mitigating factors in Brydon's case. He has co-operated and shown remorse for his actions. We are satisfied that Brydon has shown growth in the five years since this breach and has demonstrated a greater understanding of his responsibilities.

"We are hopeful that his case can serve as an educational example for other cricketers."

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