England add Sam Curran in T20I squad following ODI series defeat against South Africa, Ben Duckett rested

Sam Curran has been recalled to the England's T20I set up as England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced that the star all-rounder has been added to the Three Lions' squad for the upcoming series against South Africa and Ireland. Sam Curran's inclusion comes as star opening batsman Ben Duckett has been rested for the three-match T20I series against South Africa.

Sam Curran in, Ben Duckett out of England's T20I series against South Africa

The 27-year-old was previously regarded as a premier all-rounder for England before being dropped from the team due to a loss of form and poor performances. Having publicly expressed his desire to rejoin the national setup on numerous occasions, Curran, who last played for England in November 2024, is now set to make his comeback and will play under coach Brendon McCullum for the first time.

The all-rounder will be part of the squad for the T20I series against South Africa, with matches scheduled for September 10, 12, and 14. Following this, an English team will travel to Dublin for a three-match T20I series against Ireland on September 17, 19, and 21. Curran forced his way back into the national team on the back of his exceptional all-round displays in the T20 Blast and The Hundred. In these domestic competitions, he demonstrated his value by scoring 603 runs at a blistering strike rate of 154.21 and also contributing significantly with the ball, taking 33 wickets across 24 games.

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The ECB also announced that star opening batsman Ben Duckett, considered one of the world's leading all-format players, will be rested for the T20I series against South Africa. This decision comes after a continuous stretch of cricket for Duckett since the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which has coincided with a noticeable dip in his form, including struggles in the recent ODIs against the Proteas. The call to rest him echoes suggestions made by observers like Stuart Broad.

This break is intended to give the opener an additional week to recover before England embarks on significant tours to New Zealand and then Australia for the 2025-26 Ashes series. In Duckett's absence, England will look to Jamie Smith and Phil Salt to form the opening partnership against South Africa.

England have made the decision to release Durham seamer, Matthew Potts, from the T20I squad for the series against Ireland. The move allows Potts to play in the final rounds of the County Championship for his home team. The hope is that this will give him a chance to strengthen his case for a spot in the upcoming Ashes series, where a strong pace attack will be crucial for England.

The need for a strong pace battery has become even more urgent after pace-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton recently announced an indefinite break from red-ball cricket. This has left England's leadership, including Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum, and Rob Key, looking for other options to step up, such as Matthew Potts and Sonny Baker.

Not just this, England's selectors also recently added Jordan Cox to the T20I squad for the Ireland series. Cox was named Player of the Tournament in The Hundred 2025.

England's updated squad for T20I series against 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.

England's updated squad for T20I series against 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.