Sam Curran knows the pressure will be intense on whoever fills the shoes of Ben Stokes as England’s Test all-rounder – but appears ready to throw his hat in the ring.
Stokes’ dramatic Trent Bridge retirement has left England with a major headache as they look to replace not only their captain, but also the player who balanced their team as a frontline batting and bowling option.
White-ball captain Harry Brook has already made it clear he is keen to take over as skipper, with Joe Root the alternative if a steady hand is preferred, but the options to replace Stokes the cricketer are less clear.
Fast bowling all-rounders with international pedigree are vanishingly thin on the ground, though Curran comes closer than most to fitting the bill. It has been five years since he won the last of his 24 Test caps, but he does boast 47 wickets at 35.51 and a batting average of 24.69. Back in 2018, at the tender age of 20, he was even named player of the series following an all-action showing against India.
In recent times he has operated as a white-ball specialist for England, but made his first-class return for Surrey earlier this month and bowled his first overs of the season against Glamorgan, having finally recovered from a groin injury.
The left-armer is currently involved in the T20 series against India, which continues at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday, but did not rule out a second act in the Test arena.
“Stokesy’s going to be a big gap to fill for whoever takes that role but, yeah, I love playing for England,” he said.
“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. 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.”
One other potential consequence of Stokes’ retirement could be more leadership opportunities in England’s white-ball team. Even if Brook does take over across all three formats, he would be unable to be present for every series, leaving the likes of Curran and Jacob Bethell as possible stand-ins.
But Curran made a point of shutting down the idea at this stage, with the Test job not even settled as it stands.
“(Captaincy) is something I’ve enjoyed doing at Surrey and around the different franchises I have, but what’s this link? Is this trying to just find a different headline or something?,” he said.
“Everyone’s speculating, speculating. I think it’s pointless in a way. Let’s just try and crack on with this series and see how we go.”
Curran has also been named in a 16-strong squad for the ODI series against India, drawn largely from the current T20 group. Joe 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 pivot to a spin-bowling all-rounder, is also retained in a further nod from the selectors.
England have made two changes from the first T20 washout in Durham, swapping out Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood on their home ground, with Jofra Archer and debutant Josh Tongue coming in.
PA
