Sam Curran recalled to England T20 side for first South Africa match in Cardiff
All-rounder returns after standout Hundred campaign as England name a new-look XI for the opening T20 against South Africa
Sam Curran has been recalled to England's T20 side for the first match of the three-game series against South Africa in Cardiff on Wednesday, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced.
The 27-year-old all-rounder will feature under head coach Brendon McCullum for the first time, having last appeared for England in a T20 international against the West Indies in November 2024. Curran was a late call-up to the white-ball squad after a strong campaign in The Hundred for Oval Invincibles, scoring 238 runs and taking 12 wickets as the side won the competition.
England named Phil Salt and Jos Buttler as openers, with Jacob Bethell at three and Harry Brook captaining the middle order. Curran is listed at five but England indicated they will remain flexible with the batting order. The full XI for the first T20 reads: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
The selection addresses a shortcoming that emerged in the recent one-day international series against South Africa, which the tourists won 2-1. England lacked a seam-bowling all-rounder across the ODIs, with spinners Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks sharing the role of a fifth bowling option. Jamie Overton and Jofra Archer join Curran as the seam-bowling options for the T20s, while Adil Rashid and left-arm spinner Liam Dawson provide spin.
Opener Phil Salt returns to the squad after missing the West Indies series earlier in the summer for paternity leave. Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith, who played in five Tests against India then featured in The Hundred and the ODIs, have been rested for the T20 leg of the summer. A new-look England side will be captained by Bethell against Ireland later in the month, offering further opportunities for players such as Curran to force their way into consistent selection.
"I sat down with him recently and asked him to bang down the door, to force his way into the top six and with his bowling ability," McCullum told Sky Sports after the ODI series. "He is a very attractive resource and it was just a matter of putting in performances to get himself back to where he needed to be. He was honest. He said he was determined to have a long international career and fair play to him, he has banged it down."
Rashid, reflecting on a busy international schedule that includes a white-ball series in New Zealand, the Ashes in November and a T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February, said players will manage workloads. "I can only speak for myself but I obviously don't play Test cricket so I can just focus on the white-ball side of things, I can go to New Zealand and then have a rest so I'm fresh for that World Cup," he told BBC Sport. "It's probably going to be a bit of a challenge for the guys [playing all formats] but that's the schedule. Everyone will be up for it."
The first T20 starts at 18:30 BST on Wednesday in Cardiff. The second match is scheduled for Old Trafford on Friday and the final game of the series will be played at Trent Bridge on Sunday.