Sam Curran in line for Test comeback, could return for third Pakistan Test

England’s cricket selectors are closely monitoring the fitness of all-rounder Sam Curran, who is reportedly in line for a Test comeback and could potentially feature in the third Test against Pakistan. Selector Marcus North confirmed that concerns over Curran’s physical readiness were the primary reason for his exclusion from the initial squad for the series.

Curran, who made his Test debut at 19 and earned 24 caps between 2018 and 2021, has largely focused on white-ball cricket over the past five years. However, North highlighted that Curran’s comprehensive all-round skillset has made him a ‘player of interest,’ particularly since the retirement of Ben Stokes, leaving a significant void in the team’s balance. This renewed focus on Curran underscores the importance of a versatile all-rounder in England’s Test setup.

Curran’s Path to Potential Return: Fitness and Workload

The journey back to Test cricket for Curran has been marked by a meticulous management of his fitness and workload. After missing the Indian Premier League due to a groin injury, he initially returned to the T20 Blast as a specialist batter. Throughout the summer, he has steadily built up his bowling workload, culminating in a full participation in England’s white-ball series against India, where he bowled his full 10-over allocation in two One-Day Internationals.

Despite this progress, a recent niggle caused him to miss a Hundred match last week, and he did not bowl in a subsequent game on Sunday night. Marcus North elaborated on the situation, stating, “With the retirement of Ben Stokes, it’s quite clear that he provided us with a certain balance in the team. Sam Curran is certainly a player of interest for us.”

North continued, explaining the cautious approach: “Sam has had a really heavy workload this summer playing a tremendous amount of cricket, and during that time he’s been doing so with a couple of niggles, which you expect most bowlers do. But at this stage with a couple of niggles – we’ve seen he’s missed a game in the Hundred – we don’t feel physically, he’s just quite right there.”

This careful management is crucial to ensure Curran’s long-term availability and effectiveness. “I think [it would be] unfair to put him into these first two Tests. He’s someone our backroom staff and medical team will be working with in the coming weeks to make sure that he potentially becomes an option in the third Test. He’s someone that we really value highly and we see playing a role in the future for us as an allrounder,” North affirmed.

North also confirmed that a fit Curran would undoubtedly have been part of the initial squad, providing a valuable option ahead of Dan Lawrence. “He’d be in the squad, I would have thought, and that would give us that option of either playing Sam Curran at No. 6 or 7 if we felt that was the right balance, or going with six [specialist] batters and [Jamie] Smith.”

Squad Dynamics and Selection Challenges for Pakistan Series

England’s squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan features Jordan Cox at number three, with Jacob Bethell sidelined due to a knee injury. Dan Lawrence is set to bat at number six. The selection strategy for the series, particularly for the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord’s, points towards a likely four-man seam attack. Lawrence and captain Joe Root are expected to provide spin options, though Shoaib Bashir remains in the squad should conditions necessitate a frontline spinner.

The selectors face additional complexities, including a tight three-day turnaround from The Hundred final and the potential unavailability of Ollie Robinson, whose partner is due to give birth later this month. North addressed these challenges, stating, “That’s part of the reason you’ve got seven pace bowlers in the squad. You’ve got multiple players currently that have potentially different pathway, in terms of how long and how deep they go into the tournament: we might have some bowlers playing a final on the Sunday, and the Test match starts on Wednesday.”

Managing the transition of these bowlers from white-ball to red-ball cricket is a priority. “All of that group of bowlers have been really receptive and understand that they’ve been doing some extra work in and around The Hundred competition, in terms of their bowling loads etc. Some of them have even been bowling with a red ball in and around their training,” North explained. “They’ve all been given plans through [ECB pace-bowling lead] Troy Cooley around what they need to be at certain workload levels, which makes that transition as smooth as possible and gives them the best chance to, one, be successful, but also, to transition out of The Hundred as safe as possible from an injury perspective.”

Rehan Ahmed’s Development and Coaching Continuity

Young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed was notably absent from the squad. North clarified this decision was made to allow Ahmed a dedicated block of red-ball cricket with Leicestershire in the County Championship, rather than serving as a reserve. “It’s a tricky little period he’s in,” North remarked. “He’s going to want the opportunities to play [but] he’s finding himself in our squads, playing the odd game. That poses different challenges for a young kid developing his game.”

Ahmed’s understanding and focus on developing his game were commended. “He’s very, very understanding of the position he’s in. He’s very focused to go back and perform very well for Leicester… We’re looking forward to seeing him build on his summer to date and finish really strong there.”

Despite Stephen Fleming, England’s incoming head coach, not taking charge for the Pakistan series due to family commitments (with Marcus Trescothick named interim coach), North confirmed Fleming’s significant involvement in the selection process. “Absolutely, he was involved. He’s been employed for the next four years, so we’re going to make sure that our selection and our philosophies and thoughts around that are absolutely aligned with Stephen’s. It would make no sense for us to move forward through this series and for it to be contradictory to where Stephen sees us as a team moving forward.”

Fleming is scheduled to officially take over when England tours South Africa for three Tests in December-January. The team then travels to Bangladesh for two Tests in February and to Australia for the 150th anniversary Test at the MCG in March, before one home Test against Bangladesh in May, leading into the highly anticipated Ashes series in June and July. These upcoming fixtures underscore the long-term vision guiding current selection decisions and player management strategies.