Sam Curran’s wait is finally over. The England all-rounder has been recalled to the T20I squad for the upcoming series against South Africa and Ireland.
This is the first time in 2025 that Curran has been picked and also his first call-up under Brendon McCullum’s coaching.
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Fans had been wondering when they would see him back in English colours and his strong performances in the domestic T20 Blast and The Hundred have finally opened the door again.
Why did Sam Curran get recalled now?
Curran has been knocking on the door for a while. After being left out for months, he made sure his bat and ball did the talking in the summer.
Across 24 matches in the T20 Blast and The Hundred, the left-hander smashed 603 runs at a strike rate of 154.21 and also picked up 33 wickets. This kind of all-round impact is exactly what England have been missing.
His return comes at an important time too. England’s bowling looked thin in the recent ODIs, especially when Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks were forced to bowl long spells and leaked runs.
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Curran gives the side balance, a middle-order hitter who can also deliver four overs with the ball.
What are the other squad changes in England’s T20I squad?
While Curran celebrates his return, Ben Duckett has been given extra rest. The opener has been struggling for runs lately and looked completely out of rhythm in the ODIs.
The ECB has decided to give him a break before the big winter tours to New Zealand and Australia. With Duckett out, Jamie Smith and Phil Salt are likely to open the innings against South Africa.
There were other tweaks as well. Matthew Potts has been pulled from the Ireland games so he can play County Championship cricket for Durham and fight for an Ashes spot..
What lies ahead for England and Sam Curran?
England face South Africa in a three-match T20I series on September 10, 12 and 14.
Soon after, a second-string side will travel to Dublin to play Ireland on September 17, 19 and 21. Curran is part of both the squads.
It has been almost a year since Curran last played for England, but now he gets a fresh start.