England speedster Brydon Carse has confessed that he considered amputating a toe to treat a persistent and painful injury that kept him out of action for several months.
Carse has established himself as one of England’s most promising seam-bowling prospects, taking 27 wickets in only five Tests at an average of 19.85. The 29-year-old has also been named to the 14-man squad for the opening Test against India, which begins on June 20 in Headingley, Leeds.
He suffered severe, infected cuts on the second toe of his left foot as a result of the repetitive impact of his front-foot landing when bowling. The problem, which arose during England’s white-ball tour of India earlier this year, caused him to miss the Champions Trophy and sideline him for three months.
“At one stage I was going to bed thinking, ‘I think 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,”
Brydon Carse admitted to the BBC.
Carse used unconventional measures to resolve the long-standing injury issue, including moving to smaller boots, adding bespoke insoles, and cutting a hole in his shoe to ease pressure on the injured toe.
“For a period of about six to eight weeks, I was on three or four different courses of antibiotics,” he informed me. “Eventually the wound was that deep that it ultimately needed a period of time just to heal up and close up.”
Following the premature conclusion of his Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan, there were initial speculations regarding plastic surgery. However, appropriate rest helped him recover, and he returned to competitive cricket in late May, playing first-class matches. He also participated in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies. The right-arm bowler collected four wickets in three games with an average of 38.75.
Carse stated that he tries not to talk about his toe in the dressing room since his teammates are weary of hearing about it.
“I try not to bring up the toe in the changing room anymore because people are sick of it. It’s a running joke – my second toe,” he remarked, laughing.
