Eain Morgan believes England's ODI cricket team needs an all-round bowler, so should Sam Curran be that man after a successful Hundred? Sky Sports pundit Morgan also believes Josh Tang could be in contention; watch the second ODI against South Africa from 1pm on Thursday live on Sky Sports Cricket.
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Highlights from the first One-Day International in Leeds as South Africa thrashed England by seven wickets in a one-sided affair.
It seems fair to question England's bowling after the batsmen were bowled out for 131 on a good pitch following a stunning collapse of 8-49…
A dismal hook game in the first one-day international against South Africa left their bowlers in deep trouble, with young paceman Sonny Baker having a hard time of it – his 0-76 in seven overs was the most expensive for an England player on debut.
The bigger bowling issue, however, is perhaps the line-up of the attack, with Baker one of three players in the Headingley side, along with Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse.
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Watch Sonny Baker's devastating ODI debut as the young England fast bowler conceded 76 runs in seven wicketless overs.
The other options were the spin line: frontliner Adil Rashid, supported by Will Jacks, Joe Root and Jacob Bethell. With South Africa chasing such a low target, we didn't see the final three bowl at Leeds.
This combination of three seam balls and plenty of spin was also used in the Champions Trophy earlier in the year (which, if you remember, ended badly for England) and in the 3-0 win over the West Indies in June, Harry Brook's first series in charge.
However, England's 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, speaking on Sky Sports on Tuesday, believes a versatile player capable of first-team action could take his place, naming Jamie Overton, who is currently in the starting line-up, and Sam Curran, who is not.
Pictured: Sam Curran excelled for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, should he be called back into the England one-day squad?
Morgan said: “The balance of this team is similar to the 2015 team I started with, but as I have developed as a captain and with the demands of international cricket, having a seam all-rounder and a fourth pace bowler has become important.”
“I understand that you want to give someone like Bethell exposure and the opportunity to play in different games, but for me there are too many [options] here.
“You might be looking at Overton as a long-term solution, whereas I would definitely include Curran in the squad.”
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“Curran keeps getting better and better”
Curran, a player of the tournament in which England won the 2022 T20 World Cup, has not played for his country in any format since the tour of the West Indies late last year.
But he has just played a huge role in helping the Oval Invincibles complete their first Hundred triumph, taking 12 wickets and scoring 238 runs during their 2025 success.
He then continued in the same vein, scoring an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls for Surrey in the Vitality Blast quarter-final they lost to Northamptonshire on Wednesday, although his three wicketless overs cost him 43 runs.
Not only would the left-hander give England a fourth batting option if he came in instead of, say, Bethell or Jacks, but he would also give England variety, as all the players selected in the team against South Africa are right-handed: Baker, Archer, Carse, Overton and Saqib Mahmood.
Lancashire left-hander Luke Wood is in the international T20 group but not the 50-over team.
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Curran took wickets in The Hundred with deliveries bowled at under 50mph
Curran, whose variations include stunning 'moon balls' at sub-50mph, played a total of 93 white-ball matches for England (58 T20Is, 35 ODIs), scoring 953 runs and taking 87 wickets.
Morgan added: “He's only 27 and he's just getting better and better. It's an open question whether we'll take him into the team or not, but his level is definitely up there.”
“I don't think he's been pushed aside. I just think England are looking at other options. That's what [head coach] Brendon McCullum and Brook have been talking about.”
Is it time to stick out your tongue in white cricket?
If England decide not to call on Curran, Morgan believes they could instead field notorious wicket-taker Josh Tang, who leads the tournament with 14 wickets for Manchester Originals.
Tang, who has played six Test matches but has not yet featured in a white-ball international, has made three appearances for the Originals and has also beaten David Warner, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith and Zak Crawley.
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Josh Tang dismissed Steve Smith in The Hundred, with the Australian taking one of Seaman's 14 wickets in the tournament.
England have been in need of a replacement for midfield specialist Liam Plunkett since he was sacked following their 2019 World Cup triumph.
Morgan added: “I loved Tang's portrayal of The Hundred. The way he bowled and the wickets he took. It reminded me of the role Plunkett played when I was captain.”
“England bat deep so Kars and Rashid can easily bat at one spot to provide another bowling option.”
The second one-day game at Lord's on Thursday offers the current England squad a chance to redeem themselves. This time they can only hope for help from the batting.
Watch England v South Africa live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 12.30pm on Thursday (first ball 1pm) or stream contract-free with NOW.
Sourse: skysports.com
