Curran eyes Stokes' Test role for Pakistan series
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- Sam Curran, 28, told BBC Sport he would "of course" welcome the chance to replace Stokes but won't put pressure on himself, having last played a Test in 2021 and featuring only in white-ball cricket since.
- Stokes' sudden retirement leaves England seeking both a new captain and a team-balance solution ahead of the Pakistan Test series in August.
- England chose four frontline seamers, omitted spinner Shoaib Bashir and added a specialist batter when Stokes missed the second Test against New Zealand following an incident in a London nightclub — a formation they could repeat.
- Curran is named in England's XI for Saturday's second T20 against India at Old Trafford, with Jofra Archer and debutant Josh Tongue replacing Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood.
- India resisted handing a debut to 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Manchester, with bowling coach Morne Morkel citing faith in "the number one batter in T20 cricket, Abhishek Sharma."
- Spin-bowling all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has featured in England's Test squads all summer, while James Coles received his first England one-day squad call-up on Friday.
Why it matters: Stokes' role wasn't just star-power — it was structural, giving England the seam-bowling all-rounder slot that frees up a fifth bowler and a spinner. Without a like-for-like replacement, England face repeating the four-seamer, no-spinner setup that left them visibly unbalanced against New Zealand. Whoever fills the spot determines whether England can play five bowlers in Pakistan or remain a batter-heavy XI.
