Sam Curran said Friday he is ready to fill the huge gap left in England’s Test side by the international retirement of former captain Ben Stokes if called upon to replace the outstanding all-rounder.
Stokes’s stunning exit at Trent Bridge, announcing he was quitting England duty on the fourth afternoon of a Test that his side went on to lose heavily as they suffered a 2-1 series defeat by New Zealand, has left team management with some tricky problems.
While white-ball skipper Harry Brook and former Test captain Joe Root are the obvious candidates as England’s red-ball leader, the question of who fills his shoes as a fast-bowling all-rounder capable of balancing the side looks to be a thornier issue. The often-underestimated Curran, 28, might come as close as anyone to solving England’s dilemma ahead of their next Test, an August encounter with Pakistan at Headingley.
It is five years since Curran won the last of his 24 Test caps, with the Surrey stalwart having taken 47 wickets at 35.51 while averaging 24.69 with the bat.
Back in 2018, aged 20, he was even named player of the series following an action-packed display against India. Left-arm swing bowler Curran, currently involved in the T20 series against India which continues at Old Trafford on Saturday, would have no qualms about a Test recall. “Stokesy’s going to be a big gap to fill for whoever takes that role but, yeah, I love playing for England,” he told reporters on Friday. “There’s obviously going to be a lot of noise on whoever takes that spot. I don’t want to put pressure on myself, (but) I’m a competitive person – whatever challenge is thrown at me, I’ll try my best.
“So whatever format that is, I’ll do my best whenever I can,” added Curran, the son of the late Zimbabwe all-rounder Kevin Curran. “We’ve got a big series here, so I’m focused on that and then we’ll see what happens later on. I’m feeling good. It’s a long summer ahead.”
Curran has also been named in a 16-strong squad for a one-day international series against India, drawn largely from the current T20 group. Root comes back, while Phil Salt, Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker and Luke Wood drop out. Uncapped James Coles, another possible replacement for Stokes should England opt for a spin-bowling all-rounder, is also retained in a fresh endorsement of the 22-year-old’s ability from the selectors. The three-match series begins at Edgbaston on July 14 before further fixtures at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens and Lord’s. England have made two changes from the first T20 washout in Durham, with Jofra Archer and debutant Josh Tongue coming in for Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood.