06 August,2026 09:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sam Curran. Pic/AFP
All-rounder Sam Curran remains part of England's red-ball plans but has missed out on selection for the opening two Tests against Pakistan as he continues to manage fitness issues.
England selector Marcus North confirmed on Thursday that rushing the player back would be premature while he deals with minor complaints following a busy period of cricket. Medical personnel will track his progress closely with the target of making him available for selection by the third Test match.
"[It would be] unfair to put him into these first two Tests. He's someone our backroom staff and medical team will be working with in the coming weeks to make sure that he potentially becomes an option in the third Test. He's someone that we really value highly, and we see playing a role in the future for us as an allrounder," North told Cricinfo.
Curran previously sat out the 2026 IPL campaign because of a groin problem before making his way back into action primarily as a specialist batter in the T20 Blast.
"Sam has had a really heavy workload this summer playing a tremendous amount of cricket, and during that time he's been doing so with a couple of niggles, which you expect most bowlers to have. But at this stage with a couple of niggles - we've seen he's missed a game in the Hundred - we don't feel physically he's just quite right there," he added.
North acknowledged that Curran's multi-dimensional skill set makes him an appealing candidate to fill the void left by Ben Stokes' retirement from international cricket, keeping open the possibility of a recall for the final Test beginning September 9.
"With the retirement of Ben Stokes, it's quite clear that he provided us with a certain balance in the team. Sam Curran is certainly a player of interest for us," he said.
Curran first broke into the Test side as a teenager, collecting 24 caps between 2018 and 2021 before dropping out of the red-ball picture to focus heavily on white-ball formats over the subsequent five years.
(With inputs from ANI)
