Sam Curran ruled out of T20 World Cup in latest blow for England

England all-rounder Sam Curran has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup after suffering a back injury while on IPL duty.

Curran will be replaced in the squad by older brother Tom, who had been named as a travelling reserve, with Surrey teammate Reece Topley drafted in to fill that role.

The World Cup begins next week in the United Arab Emirates, where Curran has been playing for the Chennai Super Kings as one of a number of England players involved in the IPL.

His absence is the latest blow for Eoin Morgan’s No1-ranked side, who are already without both Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes for the tournament.

The injury must also make Curran a doubt for this winter’s Ashes series, which remains scheduled to begin on December 8, though the ECB are set to make a decision on the viability of the tour this week as concerns persist about quarantine requirements and living arrangements for players and their families in Australia.

An ECB statement said: “Curran complained of back pain after Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League fixture on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals. Results of the scan revealed the injury.

“He will fly back to the UK in the next couple of days and will have further scans and a full review later this week from the ECB’s medical team.”

England’s non-IPL players arrived in Oman on Tuesday morning, where they will be based until moving to Dubai on October 16 to begin their tournament against the West Indies in a repeat of the 2016 final two days later.

Read More

England will decide this week whether Ashes series will go ahead

Buttler calls for ‘siege mentality’ as Ashes uncertainty lingers

Joe Root ‘desperate’ to tour but puts Ashes decision on hold