'I don't want to put too much pressure' - Sam Curran on prospect of replacing Ben Stokes in England's Test side

Ben Stokes' retirement from international cricket could inadvertently open multiple avenues for Sam Curran, not only in the Test side, but also in the white-ball teams. With the talismanic captain leaving the sport behind, it opens up a door for a seam-bowling all-rounder to take Stokes' place in the team, a skill set Curran possesses. 

The Surrey all-rounder stated that he would happily take over the vacant spot left behind by Stokes if asked to do so. However, right now, he wishes to continue doing his best for England, which could eventually lead to better things in the coming months. 

"Yeah, of course. But it's one of those things where I just want to try to perform my best and whenever the time comes they decide whoever is going to replace Stokesy - playing for England is amazing and I'm a competitive guy. When I've got a ball or bat in my hand I just try to do my best, so we'll see what happens," Sam Curran said to BBC Sport. 

Curran claimed that it would be a huge boot to fill for whoever replaces Stokes in the team and could also make it difficult for them to come out of his shadow. The left-hander, however, does not want to give himself any added pressure thinking of the prospect of playing Test cricket. 

"It's something you have to always deal with. There's no doubt, with Ben Stokes retiring there will be hype around it. At the same time, I'm sure whoever comes in will do their best and try to get the focus on them, rather than on Ben. There's no doubt he will be a big miss for England, and we'll see how it goes. There is a lot of noise on Stokesy retiring, but I don't really want to put too much pressure on myself. Whatever happens over the next few weeks, my main thing is to try to contribute and win games for England, and what will be, will be," Curran added. 

Curran would be a like-for-like replacement for Stokes in England's Test team, playing the role of a third or fourth seamer and coming in to bat at number six. The 28-year-old, however, has not played the longest format since 2021 and has sporadically represented Surrey in the County Championship since. He has played five-day cricket 24 times for England, scoring 815 runs and taking 47 wickets. 

Recalling Curran, however, could not be the only route England take to replace Stokes ahead of the Pakistan series in August. With Shoaib Bashir's place in the side looking more and more vulnerable by the day, the management could field a spin-bowling all-rounder in place of their former captain and instead play an additional seamer. Both Rehan Ahmed and James Coles could fulfil that role in the red-ball team.

England will also be tasked with finding a new Test captain, with current vice-captain Harry Brook favourite to take over the mantle. The Yorkshireman, however, is already the white-ball skipper, and the Three Lions would not want to burden him with captaincy in all three formats.

With Curran being one of the more experienced players in the T20I side, he would take charge of the team in the future. It is worth mentioning that the all-rounder has led Surrey in the T20 Blast and captained the Desert Vipers to the ILT20 title in 2025. He is also named leader of MI London in The Hundred 2026.