England bowler Brydon Carse: I considered amputation of my troublesome toe
Carse has battled against longstanding problems with his left foot, with the force produced by charging through his action, opening up a painful wound on his second toe.
The damage became so bad over a breakthrough winter with the national team that he was forced to pull out midway through England's Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan and withdraw from a lucrative deal in the Indian Premier League.
The 29-year-old explored every option to deal with the issue, eventually going as far as contemplating a grisly response.
Ben Stokes' late father Ged famously took a similar course of action in his rugby league days, removing his middle finger at the knuckle to speed up his return to action, but Carse was cautioned against following suit by team medics.
Speaking ahead of England's first T20 against the West Indies at his home ground of Durham, Carse said: 'For a number of years now, my feet are not the most ideal thing.
'It ended up being quite a severe wound I was playing with for the majority of the winter, it got infected a couple of times.
'It is a bit running joke in changing room, my second toe. So we came up with the thought, 'can we just get rid of the second toe'?
'Everyone has had their opinion on my second toe. At one stage I was going to bed thinking 'I could actually do this, I think I could get rid of my second toe' but then the medical staff said you need it for balance so that was quickly ruled out.
'I'm going to have to keep it a little bit longer.'
As for alternative solutions, he was able to pick up some less invasive suggestions which have coupled with an extended break between February and May to get him back at full tilt.
JUST IN: England name their squad for the first Test against India in Leeds 🏴
Jamie Overton has been called up for the first time since his debut against New Zealand in 2022.
Jacob Bethell, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse are all back after missing the Zimbabwe Test pic.twitter.com/QJiSGyvc3I
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 5, 2025
Increasingly viewed as a first-choice across all formats – he is set to play for England in one-day internationals, T20s and Test cricket this month alone – his body will be pushed to the limit.
'I'm in a bit of routine at the minute and things seem to be working well, so fingers crossed everything goes fine,' he said.
'It's probably a few different things I've slightly changed now. I've gone into a narrower boot, positioned the hole in my boot slightly differently and got new insoles, which is all the information the specialists have given me over the winter.
'I think playing through all three formats is a challenge for anyone. As we work through the summer I'm going to have to look after myself and those are always ongoing conversations but we've got an incredible support structure and medical staff.
'Every time I pull on an England shirt, I'm going to want to give 100 per cent.'
England have made one change to their squad for the 20-over series, which continues in Bristol on Sunday and moves to Southampton on Tuesday.
Phil Salt has been stood down for paternity leave, having welcomed his first child just prior to winning the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the weekend.
Jamie Smith takes his place at opener, allowing him to continue where he left off with a fiery knock of 64 from 28 balls in the final match of England's one-day whitewash over the tourists.
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BRYDON CARSE was so worried about his toe injury that he considered AMPUTATION. Durham fast bowler Carse revealed: 'At one stage, I was going to bed thinking, 'I could actually do this - I could get rid of my second toe.' 2 2 'But the medical staff said I need the toe for my balance so it was quickly ruled out. 'I'm going to have to keep it a little longer.' The impact of Carse's bowling has caused problems with his left foot for several years but it became so bad last winter that he pulled out of the Champions Trophy and the IPL. He is back now and playing in the white-ball matches against West Indies. The T20 series starts this evening on his home ground at Chester-le-Street. He will also be a key man in the Test series against India. Carse, 29, added: 'My feet are not the most ideal thing. 'Everyone has an opinion on my second toe. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 'In the winter, it ended up being quite a severe wound and I got a couple of infections. 'I've changed a few things - I have a narrower boot and new insoles. England cricket stars forced to arrive to West Indies Test match on lime bikes amid 'shambles' at The Oval 'They're working well at the moment.' Ben Stokes ' late father Ged famously had his middle finger removed to the knuckle to prolong his rugby league career. Stokes waves his finger in the air every time he scores a century. Meanwhile, Phil Salt has been granted paternity leave to miss the three T20 matches even though he returned to India immediately after the birth for Sunday's IPL final. He is replaced by Jamie Smith, Player of the Match in the final win of England's 50-over clean sweep.
