Tongue says Root has left England in no doubt over conduct standards / Photo: © AFP
Tongue says Root has left England in no doubt over conduct standards
England captain Joe Root has laid down the law over the standards of behaviour he expects from his side as they deal with yet another off-field embarrassment, according to fast bowler Josh Tongue.
Brydon Carse was dropped from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan at Lord's starting Thursday.
The 31-year-old was referred to the Cricket Regulator after videos on social media appeared to show the seamer being led away by police in handcuffs following an incident at a nightclub in Derby last weekend.
England thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs inside three days of Root's first match back in charge at Headingley last week.
But a visibly annoyed Root declared himself "hacked off" Tuesday with the latest alcohol-fuelled incident involving an England cricketer, even though Carse was an unused squad member in Leeds.
Root also revealed he had led his players in "robust" conversations, with Tongue telling reporters at Lord's on Wednesday: "We had a chat before training yesterday as Joe 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 and I think we've just got to do the best we can moving forward."
The 28-year-old paceman, who took eight wickets at Headingley, added: "I think we've just got to make sure we're as professional as we can be.
"Obviously things have happened and we need to try and move on from them to show all the youngsters growing up wanting to play for England that it's an amazing place to be.
"Playing for England is obviously a privilege."
Carse's brief arrest was the latest in a series of drink-related controversies that have dogged England during the past 10 months.
Limited-overs captain Harry Brook was involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington the evening before a one-day international in New Zealand.
Videos also circulated of opener Ben Duckett appearing drunk on a night out during England's woeful 4-1 Ashes series loss in Australia.
In June, former red ball captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson were given a written warning and stood down from the second Test against New Zealand after an incident at a London nightclub which came after they broke a curfew.
Stokes announced his shock retirement from international cricket during the third Test a few days later, paving the way for Root to return for a second spell as Test captain.
X.A. Mendez--LGdM
