The Albany Gazette - Rain delays England's bid to put off-field incidents behind them

Returning England captain Joe Root oversaw an innings and 103-run thrashing of Pakistan at Headingley last week.

It was just England's third win in 11 Tests and put them 1-0 up in a three-match series.

But they are also dealing with the latest of several late-night episodes that have plagued the team in recent months.

Derbyshire Police said late Wednesday they were looking into "allegations of assault", after an incident that saw England fast bowler Brydon Carse handcuffed outside a nightclub over the weekend.

The police did not specify if Carse, who was then dropped from the England squad, had any involvement in the alleged assault.

Root abolished a midnight curfew that contributed to previous skipper Ben Stokes's shock international retirement following another controversial night out earlier this season.

"If I'm being brutally honest I'm really hacked off," Root said Tuesday.

"But it's not the isolated incident itself, it's the fact we continuously keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it's detracting from what we are doing on the field."

Pakistan, without a series win in England for 30 years, will be buoyed by the return of captain Babar Azam.

The 31-year-old batsman, who missed the first Test after aggravating a finger injury in a warm-up game, declared himself "90 percent fit" during a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

Azam was Pakistan's top run-scorer, with 193 runs, during a recent drawn two-Test series in the West Indies.

He has also enjoyed success in England, with three fifties in six innings while averaging 65.75.

(T.Brown--TAG)