Sam Curran makes England T20I comeback as Ben Duckett steps away from cricket

On Friday, September 5, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that the 27-year-old England National Cricket Team all-rounder Sam Curran has been recalled to the T20I squad.

Also, the star opening batsman Ben Duckett has been rested for the upcoming three-match T20I series against the South Africa National Cricket Team.

Sam Curran finally makes a comeback under Brendon McCullum

Curran was once regarded as the premier all-rounder of the English team, but the loss of form alongside poor performances led to his ouster from the team.

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Since his exit from the team, Sam Curran has numerous times expressed his desire to return to the England setup, and now he is finally back for the T20I matches against South Africa and Ireland.

England and South Africa will go head-to-head in a three-match T20I series on September 10, 12, and 14, and after that, a second-string English team will travel to Ireland for a three-match T20I series, which will be played in Dublin on September 17, 19, and 21.

Sam Curran, who last played for England in November 2024, is set to play under Brendon McCullum's coaching for the first time.

He made his comeback to England setup possible on the back of an exceptional display in the T20 Blast and The Hundred, where he scored 603 runs with a strike rate of 154.21 and took 33 wickets in 24 games.

Ben Duckett rested for South Africa T20Is

ECB has also announced that they have decided to provide a much-needed rest to the star opening batsman Ben Duckett, who is regarded as one of the best all-format batters in the world.

Ben Duckett has been continuously playing cricket since the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and his form has taken a massive blow. He struggled to perform in the first two ODIs against the Proteas, and even Stuart Broad asked the team management to rest him.

The opening batsman will get an additional week off before England's tours to New Zealand for a series and Australia for The Ashes 2025-26. In his absence, England will turn to Jamie Smith and Phil Salt to open the innings against the Proteas.

Meanwhile, England have also made the decision to release the Durham seamer Matthew Potts from the T20I squad for the series against the Ireland National Cricket Team.

He has been let go to feature for Durham in the final rounds of the County Championship. This will allow the pacer to make his case strong for the upcoming Ashes, where England will need a strong pace battery.

Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, and Rob Key recently faced a massive setback when pace-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton decided to take a break from red-ball cricket indefinitely, and they need the likes of Matthew Potts and Sonny Baker to step up.

Also, a few days back, the England selectors added The Hundred 2025 Player of the Tournament Jordan Cox to the T20I squad for the Ireland series.

Updated England Squads For Upcoming T20I Matches:

T20I squad vs South Africa: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood.

T20I squad vs Ireland: Jacob Bethell (c), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.

Also Read: Stuart Broad gives belt treatment to Brendon McCullum, Harry Brook as England struggle in ODIs