Brendon McCullum backs Sam Curran for key World Cup role

England won just one of their four matches and Curran had sobering experiences with the ball, in particular. His left-arm seamers were plundered for 103 runs (an unwanted England record in ODIs) by the Sri Lankans in Rawalpindi.

Moreover, despite a couple of spirited cameo innings in the middle order, Curran has still to make a fifty since his recall into England’s one-day international team last year.

But Curran has now received significant backing from Brendon McCullum, England’s white ball coach, ahead of their next ODI series – a three-match affair against Australia which starts in Perth on November 13.

And Curran is clearly also in new Test head coach Stephen Fleming’s plans, and might have made a return to the Test arena in September but for injury. Fleming is on record as saying he sees Curran as a player who can balance England’s five-day team in the absence of the retired Ben Stokes.

Curran, remember, was initially omitted from McCullum’s England teams in the New Zealander’s early years in charge, but McCullum is now suggesting that the Surrey all-rounder will have an important role to play at next year’s 50-over World Cup.

McCullum told the Press Association: “Sam had a decent lay-off and it takes a little while to get back up to speed, particularly in one-day cricket. He’ll be much better for getting these last four games under his belt.

“One-day cricket is arguably the harder format, fitness-wise, because you’re playing over an entire day. In high-octane Test cricket, you’re playing over five days but the intensity isn’t quite the same.

“I think he did some good stuff, to be fair, the conditions probably didn’t suit his style of bowling but he never shirks it, he’s the ultimate competitor, whether it’s bat, ball or in the field.”

It is a mark of how far Curran has come in McCullum’s estimation that the coach has made a point of backing the 28-year-old despite his tough experiences in Pakistan following groin surgery.

Curran – player of the tournament in England’s 2022 T20 World Cup triumph in Australia - has established himself as a key man in McCullum’s T20 side, where he has proved himself a reliable death bowler, but the jury is still out for many critics in terms of 50-over cricket.

But, looking ahead to the World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 12 months’ time, McCullum believes the full package Curran offers will be vital to their chances.

McCullum added: “Sam’s done a good job since he’s come back in the last 12 to 18 months. The big grounds (in Australia) should suit Sam’s style of bowling and we know what he can do with the bat.

“For us, what’s important in World Cups where we could play 13 games in three different countries, the conditions are so contrasting. There will be a lot of new pitches as well, no-one’s really going to know how those pitches will play and they can change so much throughout the game.

“It’s important that in your squad of 15, you’ve got multi-skilled players that are able to bat, bowl and field so that you can pivot in-game based on what the conditions are and Sam’s one of those players.”