Sam Curran keen to step in as England allrounder after Stokes retires

He has been out of the Test whites since 2021 but is focused on performing well when the time comes

Cricket - First T20 International - England v India - Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street, Britain - Jul 1, 2026 England's Sam Curran during the match Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough

Sam Curran said that he would welcome the chance to fill the gap left by Ben Stokes as England searched for seam-bowling allrounder options following the Test captain's retirement.

When asked whether he would welcome the opportunity, Curran told BBC Sport on Friday: "Yeah, of course.

"But it's one of those things where I just want to try to perform my best and whenever the time comes they decide whoever is going to replace Stokesy - playing for England is amazing and I'm a competitive guy.

"When I've got a ball or bat in my hand I just try to do my best, so we'll see what happens."

Curran has not played Test cricket since England's home series against India in August 2021, and has since featured exclusively in white-ball formats.

The 28-year-old is part of England's ongoing five-match T20 series against India and has also been named in the squad for the three-match one-day international series later this month.

England face India in the second T20 at Old Trafford on Saturday.