Sam Curran has identified himself as a leading candidate to succeed Ben Stokes as England’s Test all-rounder when the team resumes red-ball cricket against Pakistan next month. Curran, who made his Test debut in 2018 at the age of 20, last appeared in the format in 2021 but expressed eagerness to step into the role previously held by Stokes. “Stokesy’s going to be a big gap to fill for whoever takes that role but, yeah, I love playing for England,” Curran said.

Currently involved in the Twenty20 series against India at Old Trafford, Curran is also in contention for leadership roles across formats. With Harry Brook, England’s potential new Test captain at 27, possibly unable to captain the team across all three formats, Curran, 28, and Jacob Bethell, 22, emerge as plausible candidates for the white-ball skipper position.

Curran has accrued captaincy experience with Surrey and in the Indian Premier League and is set to lead MI London in the upcoming Hundred tournament. He reflected on his leadership prospects, saying, “Captaincy is something I’ve enjoyed doing but, beyond that, everyone is speculating.”

England’s limited-overs squad has seen changes, with Zak Crawley, who was dropped from the Test team following a poor Ashes campaign, omitted from the three-match 50-over series against India. Bethell is anticipated to open the batting alongside Ben Duckett in the ODI series.