He last played for England in November 2024.
In an interesting turn of events, England added Sam Curran to the T20I side for the upcoming series against South Africa and Ireland. Ben Duckett, who was initially picked for these assignments, is rested considering the amount of cricket he has played without any break.
Curran has not been part of the England set-up since November last year. He has not played in any format under the coaching of Brendon McCullum. But his recent performance for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred 2025 has forced the management to take notice.
Oval Invincibles clinched their third successive trophy in The Hundred on the back of a complete team performance. The 27-year-old all-rounder was pivotal in achieving this three-peat.
Curran was exceptional with the bat in the middle order, amassing 238 runs from eight innings at an average of 34 while striking at 176. He was one of the fastest scorers in the tournament. With the ball, he took 12 wickets at an economy of 8.55, bowling predominantly in middle and death overs.
SUPERB SAM CURRAN SIX! 🤩#TheHundred | #RoadToTheEliminator pic.twitter.com/yxeAcZnX8J
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 25, 2025
Playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Curran had a torrid time in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He smashed 88 runs in one game but could manage only 26 in the other four innings while picking up only one wicket. He returned to form in the T20 Blast, where he snared 21 wickets and piled on 365 runs at 26 average and 142 strike rate.
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Sam Curran might only be 27, but he has had quite a career. From starring in his debut Test series against India at the age of 19 to winning the Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup triumph in 2022, he has had his moments.
Curran was a regular feature in England’s white-ball sides up until last year. However, as the side continued to plummet, some tough decisions were made, and he was among the discarded players.
England have made some changes to the T20I side by bringing in Liam Dawson, and batting the likes of Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks in the lower middle order. Liam Livingstone was also recently dropped from both white-ball sides.
The team has continued to struggle to find the right balance. Whether it’s ODIs or T20Is, having a pace-bowling option in the top seven is extremely crucial. But ever since Ben Stokes’ exit, England haven’t found an answer to this problem.
Beaten by the pace 😉
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 6, 2025
Sam Curran's Spirit-crushing slow ball is your @KPNutsOfficial Play of the Day!#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/WPcyxTpNrU
With the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka coming up, Curran’s late addition for the upcoming series offers England a chance to address this. The left-arm pacer has developed a loopy, slower ball to his arsenal, and it was highly effective in The Hundred. It could be a threat in the subcontinent conditions as well.
Curran is picked only for the upcoming T20Is, but England’s balance issues in ODIs are more extreme. Having said that, T20Is could be a good way for the Surrey all-rounder to show McCullum that he belongs at this level.
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