Who will replace Ben Stokes in Test team? England selector reveals

All-rounder Sam Curran is likely to be drafted back into the England Test squad for the third match of the upcoming series against Pakistan. Curran missed out on selection for the first two Tests due to fitness concerns, according to selector Marcus North.

Following Ben Stokes’ retirement, England are on the lookout for a seam all-rounder to fill in his massive shoes, and Curran fits the bill. The 28-year-old has played 24 Tests in his career so far and has scored 815 runs, along with taking 47 wickets. North described Curran as a ‘player of interest’ for the England team management and is impressed with his gradual return to heavy workloads after returning from injuries.

"With the retirement of Ben Stokes, it's quite clear that he provided us with a certain balance in the team. Sam Curran is certainly a player of interest for us. Sam has had a really heavy workload this summer playing a tremendous amount of cricket, and during that time he's been doing so with a couple of niggles, which you expect most bowlers do,” North was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. 

Curran last played a Test against India in 2021 at Headingley, Leeds. The all-rounder missed the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026) with a groin injury and returned to action as a specialist batter in the T20 Blast and built up his bowling workload over the course of the summer.

He went on to play a full role in England's white-ball series against India, completing his full 10-over quota in two ODIs. However, he missed a Hundred fixture last week because of a niggle and returned to play against Manchester Super Giants on Sunday, but didn't bowl.

North mentioned how it would’ve been unfair to include Curran for the first two Tests and revealed that he will be working with the medical team to be ready for the third Test against Pakistan, beginning on September 9 at Birmingham, Edgbaston.

We see Curran playing an all-rounder's role in future: North

"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. But at this stage with a couple of niggles - we've seen he's missed a game in the Hundred - we don't feel physically, he's just quite right there,” he added.

North also mentioned that if fit, Curran would’ve played ahead of Dan Lawrence in the first Test.

“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,” North said.

Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match Test series against Pakistan due to a knee injury. In his place, Jordan Cox is likely to bat at number three. Wrist spinner Rehan Ahmed has also been left out of the team. The three-match series begins on August 19 at Headingley, Leeds.