{"id":189541,"date":"2026-07-03T18:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=189541"},"modified":"2026-07-03T18:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:34:07","slug":"curran-ready-to-fill-void-in-test-side-after-stokes-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=189541","title":{"rendered":"Curran ready to fill void in Test side after Stokes\u2019 retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

Sam Curran said Friday he is ready to fill the huge gap left in England\u2019s Test side by the international retirement of former captain Ben Stokes if called upon to replace the all-rounder.<\/p>\n

Stokes\u2019s stunning exit at Trent Bridge, announcing he was quitting England duty on the fourth afternoon of a Test that his side went on to lose heavily as it suffered a 2-1 series defeat by New Zealand, has left team management with some tricky problems.<\/p>\n

While white-ball skipper Harry Brook and former Test captain Joe Root are the obvious candidates as England\u2019s red-ball leader, the question of who fills his shoes as a fast-bowling all-rounder capable of balancing the side looks to be a thornier issue.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: ENG vs IND, 2nd T20I: England make two changes as Archer, Tongue named in playing XI<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The often-underestimated Curran, 28, might come as close as anyone to solving England\u2019s dilemma ahead of its next Test, an August encounter with Pakistan at Headingley.<\/p>\n

It is five years since Curran won the last of his 24 Test caps, with the Surrey stalwart having taken 47 wickets at 35.51 while averaging 24.69 with the bat.<\/p>\n

Back in 2018, aged 20, he was even named player of the series following an action-packed display against India.<\/p>\n

Left-arm swing bowler Curran, currently involved in the T20 series against India which continues at Old Trafford on Saturday, would have no qualms about a Test recall.<\/p>\n

\u201cStokesy\u2019s going to be a big gap to fill for whoever takes that role but, yeah, I love playing for England,\u201d he told reporters on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s obviously going to be a lot of noise on whoever takes that spot. I don\u2019t want to put pressure on myself, (but) I\u2019m a competitive person \u2013- whatever challenge is thrown at me, I\u2019ll try my best.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo whatever format that is, I\u2019ll do my best whenever I can,\u201d added Curran, the son of the late Zimbabwe all-rounder Kevin Curran.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a big series here, so I\u2019m focused on that and then we\u2019ll see what happens later on. I\u2019m feeling good. It\u2019s a long summer ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Published on Jul 03, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sam Curran said Friday he is ready to fill the huge gap left in England\u2019s Test side by the international retirement of former captain Ben Stokes if called upon to replace the all-rounder. Stokes\u2019s stunning exit at Trent Bridge, announcing he was quitting England duty on the fourth afternoon of a Test that his side … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":189542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-189541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2019-12-02T215043Z_1276717617_RC29ND93D5JT_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-TEST-NZL-ENG.JPG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":179095,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=179095","url_meta":{"origin":189541,"position":0},"title":"Vaughan: Stokes\u2019 curfew breach not a sackable offence","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Michael Vaughan has backed Ben Stokes to retain the England captaincy despite being investigated for breaking the team\u2019s curfew. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced it was looking into Stokes\u2019 involvement in a nightclub incident on Monday morning following England\u2019s win in the first Test against New Zealand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T121740Z_1721872487_UP1EM670Y5EEI_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T121740Z_1721872487_UP1EM670Y5EEI_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T121740Z_1721872487_UP1EM670Y5EEI_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T121740Z_1721872487_UP1EM670Y5EEI_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-07T121740Z_1721872487_UP1EM670Y5EEI_RTRMADP_3_CRICKET-ENG-NZL.JPG?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":187174,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=187174","url_meta":{"origin":189541,"position":1},"title":"Michael Atherton questions timing of shock Stokes exit","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ben Stokes\u2019s shock decision to announce his international retirement in the middle of a Test match left former England skipper Michael Atherton asking, \u201cwhy and why now?\u201d. 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