Carse admits gambling break helped him improve his game and fitness

England pacer Brydon Carse had a superb Test debut against Pakistan in Multan. He picked up four wickets and England won by an innings and 47 runs after making 823/7 in their first innings. 

However, the situation was very different for the 29-year-old, who was coming off a three-month ban imposed on him in May for placing bets on cricket games between 2017 and 2019. Although he didn’t bet on any game that he was a part of, the betting integrity rules of the game don’t allow players to gamble on matches anywhere in the world. 

Carse felt that the time off from the game allowed him to work on his skills and fitness and improve as a cricketer. 

"I had some time off to work on a few things that I wanted to and then maybe improve my fitness in certain areas," BBC quoted Carse as saying. 

"I've come back refreshed and just wanting to do well and play as much as I can for England.

"The group of players that we are playing with, I've got some close relationships. I just thoroughly enjoyed the occasion,” Carse remarked. 

Carse first played for England in 2021 when he made his ODI debut after England’s first-choice squad couldn’t be fielded during the pandemic. There, he impressed the senior team members with his performance, including England’s highest wicket-taker of all time, James Anderson. 

"He got injured quite early on. But you got the impression he could have been added to the squad and actually done a job," Anderson said on the Tailenders podcast he regularly appears on. 

"I just really like him: he bowls quick, he can move the ball, and he's got that sort of action where he almost pauses in his delivery stride and then really snaps at the crease, so it makes it feel even quicker for the batters.”

Carse, meanwhile, just felt content after the game with his performance and the way his career is moving forward with the Three Lions. 

“It's been a special five days," he said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo. 

"It's been hard graft, and it was difficult at times today [Friday] but it's very rewarding to come away with a win.”

The second Test between Pakistan and England will also happen in Multan and will start from October 15. 

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