Curran's Test recall hopes dashed by surgery

England's Sam Curran has been ruled out of the remainder of the English season due to a groin injury, extinguishing his prospects of a possible Test comeback this summer. The 28-year-old Surrey all-rounder last played a Test match in 2021, but had been earmarked for a potential recall to the squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan, as England sought to maintain balance in their lineup following Ben Stokes' retirement.

Selector Marcus North had suggested Curran might have been included in the ongoing first Test had he not been grappling with his fitness while participating in The Hundred. However, additional assessments have confirmed that Curran requires surgical intervention, which will keep him sidelined from Surrey's County Championship matches and England's white-ball fixtures against Sri Lanka in September.

Curran suffered a similar injury in March, forcing him to withdraw from the Indian Premier League, where he also missed a Hundred match and did not bowl his full quota in four other games. With Curran, Stokes, and another seam-bowling all-rounder out of the equation, England opted not to select a frontline spinner for the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley.

Instead, they opted to balance their team by selecting Dan Lawrence to bat at number six and provide spin-bowing support through his off-spin. Will Jacks, an all-rounder who also played a similar role during the Ashes last winter, is also absent from Surrey's squad for Thursday's County Championship match against Nottinghamshire, following his own surgical appendix removal operation. The suitability of Jacks for the upcoming T20 and ODI series against Sri Lanka will be evaluated.