ALS INTERVIEW: BRYDON CARSE

With the second Test of the Ashes about to begin, we spoke to England cricket international and South African native Brydon Carse, who is also a Sunderland fan with an interesting backstory...

How did a lad from Port Elizabeth become a Sunderland fan?

I wasn’t a fan until I arrived here to play cricket at Burnmoor. However, once I arrived it was obvious there was only one team I had to support.

How quickly did you get sucked into the matchday culture after you moved to the North East as a teenager?

More or less straight away – I didn’t really have much choice as Burnmoor is very much Sunderland. It was easily the best decision I've made!

Can you name your favourite away day following Sunderland and why?

Wolves away in the Championship stands out. It was a fixture played during the festive period and it was snowing! That was a great day and cemented my thoughts on how amazing our fans are.

When away with England do you and the other players manage to watch their footy teams play?

We try to watch when we can, but it’s not always easy with our schedule. There is definitely one game in the diary coming up which I won't be missing!

Have you worked out where you’ll be when we play THEM? What’s the plan?

Absolutely – we will be in Adelaide. Hopefully the schedule is kind to us and we can watch the game and cheer the Lads on from Oz!

Fellow test player Matty Potts is from Sunderland - fellow Mackem?

Yeah, Pottsy is red and white through and through. We both love it.

Favourite ground to play at in world cricket?

Has to be Lords. Simply the home of Cricket.

Best North East expression?

“Canny lad”. Canny is not a word I had heard of until getting here, but I use it a lot now!

Why do Durham produce so many great players?

There has to be something in the water! It is a great club and very supportive. The drive in the area around sport in general is huge and there are plenty of pathways for kids to get on. Hopefully they can follow in the footsteps of so many other professional cricketers from the region.

Is there a better feeling in world cricket than getting Steve Smith out?

It's pretty special! He’s an outstanding world-class batter, so I was over the moon to get him out! Lets hope its not the last time in this series.

Who's posher...Ollie Pope or Zak Crawley?

Ollie Pope, hands down!

Who scares more people in the nets, Archer or Wood?

Jofra is the worst – quick and bowls short too!

Who is the last man to leave fielding practice?

Harry Brook – always out there til the last minute! He's a proper badger.

Last over of the game this Ashes. Would you rather... A) be batting with number 11 and need three to win? B) be bowling at number 11 and they need three to win? Or C) be under a catch last ball, skier at cow corner, catch and you win the ashes, drop and you lose the ashes?

B, for sure! I’d back myself to get a wicket more than the 3 runs!

What's the best ground you've played at in the North East?

For club cricket, it has to be Burnmoor! What a place it is and the people there are amazing. Alec and the team does a great job and the place is thriving. They gave me my first shot in the UK and it will always be somewhere I call home.

What's the best sledge you've ever heard, or given?

I am not sure I can say some of them! But “mind the windows, Tino” is always one that makes me chuckle!