England have been dealt an injury blow with Sam Curran forced to undergo surgery and set to be sidelined for the remainder of the summer.
All-rounder Curran is a key figure in England’s white-ball sides and had been expected to be added the Test squad at some point during the series against Pakistan.
But the Surrey left-armer has now undergone surgery on a groin injury at the conclusion of the Hundred, ending his chances of a Test recall.
National selector Marcus North had hinted that Curran would likely be considered as an all-round option after the retirement of Ben Stokes.
“With the retirement of Ben Stokes, it’s quite clear that he provided us with a certain balance in the team,” North had said. “Sam Curran is certainly a player of interest for us.
“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.”
Fellow Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks also misses out as the County Championship returns, with the spinner absent from the clash with Nottinghamshire after having his appendix removed.
Jacks could yet feature for England in a white-ball series against Sri Lanka that concludes the men’s international home season.
