Having sustained a groin injury, Sam Curran will undergo surgery on Friday and will not be available for the rest of Surrey’s home season, or England’s white-ball series against Sri Lanka next month. He was also likely to play a role in the later stages of the Test series against Pakistan, with national selector Marcus North labelling him “a player of interest”. That too, is now off the cards.
Stokes’ retirement put Curran closer to a Test recall than he’s been since his last appearance in 2021. He would have made the squad for the opening Test at Headingley if fit, and likely would have played ahead of Surrey teammate Dan Lawrence. “With the retirement of Ben Stokes, it’s quite clear he provided us with a certain balance in the team,” said North. “[Curran is] someone that we really value highly and we see playing a role in the future for us as an all-rounder.”
It’s clear England wanted to get a look at Curran back in Test whites this summer, before the real work of the new era begins when Stephen Fleming takes up post for the series in South Africa. While he offers the best fit for replacing Stokes as a seamer who can bat in the top six, he’s not like-for-like. Stokes has arguably been England’s premier pacer since the start of 2025, even as his returns with the bat dropped off. Curran has established himself as an effective T20I death bowler, but has taken just nine wickets in six County Championship games since 2024.
That uncertainty over what kind of role Curran could fulfill for England when selected is why they wanted to get him in as soon as possible. However, in his absence, there is also a chance for a trio of England batters to show why they must be part of the future of the side.
While Emilio Gay had a positive start to his Test career, he’s looked increasingly vulnerable to balls angling across him, as Mohammad Abbas exposed at Headingley. Jordan Cox has been given a go at No.3 in the absence of Jacob Bethell, but won’t retain that position when Bethell recovers from his knee injury. Dan Lawrence’s part-time off-spin allows England to play four specialist seamers, but they may also choose to rely on Bethell and Joe Root going forward, or bring Shoaib Bashir back in. In short, none of Gay, Cox, Lawrence, Bashir or Curran is certain to be in the XI once Fleming comes in – and Curran’s role is central to finding out which of those names, if any, will stick.
After the Pakistan series, England have seven Test matches before the Ashes to find out how to plug the Stokes hole. The Pakistan series is essential to laying the ground for Fleming’s arrival, so that the new coach can come in with as fuller an idea as possible of the cards he has to play. Now, with the Ashes judgement day looming, he’ll still have to figure out what exactly he’ll be working with.
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