Sam Curran could return for third Pakistan Test, says Marcus North

Sam Curran is in line to return to Test cricket for England’s third match against Pakistan, scheduled for September 9, after fitness concerns kept him out of the squad for the first two Tests. England named their squad for the opening two Tests on August 6, 2026, with Curran absent due to a heavy workload during the summer of 2026 in which he played through niggles and missed a Hundred match.

Curran had returned to bowling fitness in July 2026 after missing the IPL with a groin injury, but the accumulated strain from the summer meant selectors decided against including him for the first two matches of the series, which begins on August 19, 2026.

Selector Marcus North, speaking to Cricinfo, confirmed that Curran’s omission was purely fitness-related. North described Curran as a ‘player of interest’ for England and made clear the door remains open for the third Test if he recovers in time.

Why was Sam Curran left out of the first two Pakistan Tests?

North was direct about the reasoning behind Curran’s absence. The selector acknowledged that Curran had been carrying niggles through a demanding summer schedule and that it would not have been fair to ask him to step straight into a Test series without adequate preparation time.

“I think [it would be] unfair to put him into these first two Tests. He’s someone our backroom staff and medical team will be working with in the coming weeks to make sure that he potentially becomes an option in the third Test. He’s someone that we really value highly and we see playing a role in the future for us as an allrounder. Sam Curran is certainly a player of interest for us,” North said to the aforementioned source.

What role could Curran play if he returns for the third Test?

Curran made his Test debut at age 19 in June 2018 against Pakistan at Headingley and went on to earn 24 Test caps between 2018 and 2021. He has not featured in Test cricket for five years, with his career since then focused on white-ball formats.

North indicated that if Curran had been fit, he would have been included in the squad for the first two Tests and would have been considered for the allrounder role at No. 6 or 7, ahead of Dan Lawrence. Lawrence has been named at No. 6 in the squad for the opening two matches, with Jordan Cox set to bat at No. 3 following Jacob Bethell’s absence from the series due to a knee injury. He also pointed to the gap left by former captain and marquee all-rounder Ben Stokes’ retirement as a factor in England’s thinking around other options.

“He’d be in the squad, I would have thought, and that would give us that option of either playing Sam Curran at No. 6 or 7 if we felt that was the right balance, or going with six [specialist] batters and [Jamie] Smith.” England’s medical and backroom staff will work with Curran over the coming weeks to assess whether he is available for selection for the third Test. With the retirement of Ben Stokes, it’s quite clear that he provided us with a certain balance in the team,” North said.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us: