A Test comeback is on hold for Sam Curran after the all-rounder was ruled out of the rest of the English summer with a groin injury. Curran is an option England are considering as they figure out life after Ben Stokes.
Marcus North, the men’s national selector, said the left-arm seamer was a “player of real value for us” when naming the squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan this month; Curran was left out of that 16-man group as he was not considered fully fit.
Curran will undergo surgery on Friday, ruling him out of the third Test against Pakistan, starting on 9 September at Edgbaston, and the white-ball series against Sri Lanka that month. While a regular member of the two limited-overs teams, Curran – who made his debut as a 19-year-old against Pakistan in 2018 – has not played Test cricket since August 2021.
He has impressed in his few showings in the County Championship since losing his Test place, averaging 46 with the bat and 29 with the ball in 14 matches for Surrey.
England have opted for Dan Lawrence at No 6 in the first two Tests against Pakistan as they try to balance their XI without a seam-bowling all-rounder, leaving out a specialist spinner to play four quicks. Joe Root talked up Lawrence’s off-breaks in the buildup to the series opener at Headingley, but he was not required on day one as Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue took five wickets apiece to bowl Pakistan out for 171.
Will Jacks is another England all-rounder on the mend. The 27-year-old is recovering after undergoing an operation to remove his appendix. “We will monitor his recovery and assess availability ahead of the Sri Lanka series,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board.
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England’s next Test assignment after the Pakistan series is against South Africa in December, when Stephen Fleming begins his reign as head coach.