Sam Curran is back in an England shirt. The selectors have drafted the left-arm seamer-all-rounder into both upcoming T20I squads, while Ben Duckett has been told to put his feet up for an extra week after a lean run with the bat.
England confirmed the changes on Friday morning, a little more than 24 hours after South Africa had picked apart a bowling attack that relied too heavily on part-time spin. Curran’s presence offers immediate balance: he bowls brisk left-arm seam, hits powerfully through the middle overs and, crucially, frees up the side from insisting on six genuine bowlers.
Curran last played international cricket in 2024 and has spent this summer reminding people what he can do. Between the Vitality Blast and the Hundred he has piled up 603 runs at a strike-rate north of 150 and collected 33 wickets at minimal cost. “Form like that is hard to ignore,” a selector said on background. Few would argue.
Duckett, by contrast, has looked shot of confidence. He scratched 14 from 33 balls at Lord’s on Thursday and has not passed 20 in ten innings across white-ball formats since the India Test series. With a busy winter looming in New Zealand and Australia, management felt the opener was “better served taking a breather rather than forcing it”, as one coach quietly put it. Expect Phil Salt and Jamie Smith to pair up at the top against South Africa; Will Jacks or Tom Banton are in line to step up when Smith returns to Surrey duty during the Ireland leg.
There is movement in the bowling ranks too. Matthew Potts has been withdrawn from the Ireland matches so he can press his Ashes case for Durham in the County Championship. The right-arm seamer has slipped out of the limited-overs picture, yet Jamie Overton’s decision to quit red-ball cricket has suddenly reopened a spot for Australia. “Red-ball overs in September will tell us far more than drinks duty in Dublin,” an analyst noted.
Jordan Cox was added earlier in the week for Ireland only, continuing the policy of sharing opportunities without overloading the main group. Duckett, despite his rest from the T20s, will stay with the ODI squad for Sunday’s dead rubber in Southampton.
Why now for Curran? Partly, England need a point of difference. Jofra Archer remains on a carefully managed comeback; Brydon Carse is reliable but similar to others; and Jacob Bethell’s off-spin is still developing. A left-arm seamer who can bowl in all three phases and hit sixes on demand shifts the tactical picture. It also allows Moeen Ali or Liam Dawson to be picked on conditions rather than necessity, something England lacked at Lord’s.
Curran himself is typically understated: “I’m just pleased to be back around the lads. I’ve tried to keep things simple for Surrey and the Invincibles—hopefully that translates.” His county coach Gareth Batty believes it will: “Sam’s energy changes dressing-rooms. He wins moments.”
Whether that translates into series wins is the next question, but England have at least addressed two obvious issues: fresh legs at the top of the order and a seam-bowling all-rounder who can finish an innings with bat or ball.
Updated England T20I squads
v South Africa
Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood.
v Ireland
Jordan Cox, Sonny Baker and Tom Hartley replace Harry Brook, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith; Bethell leads the side.
