Curran hopes IPL form and Surrey captaincy can earn England recall

Sam Curran has told Sky Sports he is hopeful strong IPL form and his Surrey T20 captaincy will be enough to force his way back into the picture with England under Brendon McCullum.

Curran, who was Player of the Tournament in England’s 2022 T20 World Cup win and has more than 100 caps across all formats, has found himself out of all international squads of late, including for the Champions Trophy.

However, the all-rounder, 26, has not lost faith he can get back in.

Curran will play for Chennai Super Kings in IPL this year and was recently confirmed as Surrey’s permanent T20 captain.

“I knew that question [getting back in with England] was going to come!” Curran said, speaking as a guest on the latest Sky Sports Cricket Podcast

“I’ve just been named the Surrey captain which is obviously great and will be an amazing honour. My main aim is probably just to get back into the [England white-ball] side.

“With the whole way it went, I enjoy the captaincy and feel in a good place personally as a player, but right now is about getting back into the side and, I guess, what will be will be. This year is a perfect opportunity for me to captain Surrey, something I’ve enjoyed doing, so we will see what happens.

“With England, I guess I’ve never really found that perfect role. In the Champions Trophy and the series in India, there was no hiding that they stacked the batting in terms of playing a lot of batters and those extra quicks.

“I feel like if I get my role right with England, I’ll get back into it, who knows what will happen now. The cliché 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, 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.”

‘McCullum is clear and honest – the door isn’t shut’

Also a back-to-back Hundred winner with Oval Invincibles – one as MVP – Curran hasn’t played for England at ODI or T20 level since November, versus West Indies.

Speaking of his relationship with England head coach McCullum and how communication has been between the pair, Curran added: “It’s always important. Baz 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.

“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.”

Watch all 74 matches from the 2025 IPL live on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with the opener between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday March 22 (1.50pm on air, 2pm first ball) and concluding with the final on Sunday May 25.