England Playing XI for 1st T20I against South Africa announced, Sam Curran returns

On Tuesday, September 9, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the Playing XI of the England National Cricket Team for the first T20I match of the series against the South Africa National Cricket Team.

The star pace-bowling all-rounder Sam Curran has made his comeback to England's T20I playing XI after a very long time and will be seen in action against the Proteas.

England make four changes from their last T20I

The T20I series opener between the Three Lions and the Proteas will be held on Wednesday, September 10, at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. For the second T20I on Friday, September 12, teams will travel to Old Trafford in Manchester, and the third and final game will be held at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Sunday, September 14.

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Meanwhile, the English team have made four changes to the playing XI from their last T20I with Phil Salt, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, and Jofra Archer coming back into the side.

Sam Curran, who last played for England in November 2024 on the Caribbean tour, has returned to the team to play under Brendon McCullum's coaching for the first time.

The premier all-rounder staged a comeback after his brilliant performance in the shorter format of the game. In the recent editions of the T20 Blast and The Hundred, he scored 603 runs with a strike rate of 154.21 and took 33 wickets in 24 games.

Talking about the rest of the playing XI, Jos Buttler will open the innings with Phil Salt, as Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have been rested. Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook have been slotted as the No.3 and No.4 batters.

At No.5, 6, 7, and 8, the hosts will have Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, and Jamie Overton, followed by Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid as frontline bowlers.

England Playing XI For 1st T20I Against South Indian:

Playing XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, and Adil Rashid.

Also Read: Big setback for South Africa as David Miller ruled out of England T20I series

Harry Brook's team lost the ODI series against South Africa

Before the T20I series, the two teams faced off in an ODI series, which South Africa won after winning the first two games by 7 wickets and 5 runs.

However, the Harry Brook-led side bounced back strongly in the last game to register a historic consolation win by 342 runs. It was the biggest victory margin in the history of ODI cricket.

English skipper Harry Brook was delighted with the ultimate performance displayed by his team and lauded Jacob Bethell and Joe Root for their centuries. He said:

"Ultimate performance, we were awesome with the bat and the bowling speaks for itself. If we get a good wicket like that, there's no reason why we can't get 400-450, we have got really good batters in the top seven.

"(On Bethell) He is good against spin, especially against left-arm spin so that helped us hold their main bowler back longer. They have been doing it for many years, Rooty is phenomenal and Jos can take teams apart. We are a team who want to keep moving forward."