Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 21 (ANI): Ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League 2025, Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Sam Curran said that he will be showcasing his capabilities in this edition in order to make an international comeback for England, as per the ICC.
Curran hasn’t played for England since he featured in a white-ball series against the West Indies in November last year and was recently overlooked for the side’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign that saw skipper Jos Buttler resign as captain following a winless three games in Pakistan.
While Curran is predominantly considered a T20I specialist and was adjudged Player of the Tournament during England’s successful run in Australia in 2022 that saw them claim the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title, the 26-year-old has also played 24 Tests and 35 ODIs for his country since debuting back in 2018.
With Kiwi Brendon McCullum taking over as England coach in all formats from the start of this year and a new white-ball captain set to be announced shortly following the resignation of Buttler, Curran sees plenty of opportunity in front of him in the coming months as the side get set to host the West Indies, India and South Africa at home this summer.
But a two-month stint in the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings is first on the agenda for Curran, with the all-rounder to team up with another Kiwi coach in Stephen Fleming as the side attempts to improve on their fifth-placed finish in the most recent edition of the tournament last year.
Speaking at the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Curran believed some good performances in Chennai will catch the eye of McCullum and help him earn a recall to international cricket.
“My main aim is probably just to get back into the (England white-ball) side. With England, I guess I’ve never really found that perfect role. In the Champions Trophy and the series in India (at the start of 2025), there was no hiding that they stacked the batting in terms of playing a lot of batters and those extra quicks.,” the all-rounder said, as quoted by the ICC official website.
“I feel like if I get my role right with England, I’ll get back into it, who knows what will happen now. The cliche of (needing) runs and wickets is no debate; I’ve got to keep doing that. I feel in a really good space. I was obviously gutted when it happened, but I’m still pretty young and feel like I have matured when it comes to handling the bad stuff. Being a bit more experienced and reading situations better, I really hope I can get back into the team. There is only one way (to do that), hopefully, I can have a really good IPL and see where we are in the summer,” the 26-year-old added.
Curran will also get the chance to further his leadership credentials this summer as he will captain County side Surrey during their T20 campaign in England’s domestic Vitality Blast competition.
It could help push Curran’s name to the front of the queue when England sits down to appoint a new T20I captain in the coming months, with McCullum recently suggesting he would consider appointing separate ODI and T20I skippers going forward.
“If it’s the same person, great; if it’s two, that’s great too. Give me a couple of weeks to work it out and get this thing back on track,” McCullum said of Buttler’s potential replacement as captain after England’s disappointing Champions Trophy campaign.
While Curran is yet to work alongside McCullum, he is looking forward to the chance to prove himself in the coming months should the opportunity arise.
“Baz (McCullum) called me at the start when I did get left out, was clear and honest, and I respected that. I’ve never worked under him, but he seems very honest and clear about (what he wants). He said I won’t be there right now, but that didn’t mean the door was shut. It’s about going away, doing really well and performing,” Curran noted.
“He was very honest in terms of what the balance of the side was and how I could have been in had they done it differently. I respect that more than the classic ‘you’re just a little bit unlucky to miss out’. Sometimes, as a player, those ones that are a bit more brutal can be really good because you want to go and prove them wrong. Fingers crossed, come June, I’ll be back in the squads and performing,” Curran added. (ANI)
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