England Vs South Africa ODIs: Eoin Morgan Urges ENG To Include Sam Curran

Former England ODI captain Eoin Morgan believes Sam Curran should be included in the squad to face South Africa.

The Proteas cruised to a seven-wicket win in the first of three ODI matches against England, who were bowled out for 131 after losing eight wickets for 49 runs.

It was also a tough match for debutant Sonny Baker after his figures of 0-76 from seven overs were the most expensive of any England player on debut.

Harry Brook selected just three seamers for the first match in Baker, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, along with four spin options led by Adil Rashid.

Morgan, who led England to World Cup glory in 2019, insisted a seam-bowling all-rounder such as Curran can help transform the ODI squad.

“The balance of this side is similarly aligned to the 2015 side I started with but as I evolved as a captain, and with the demands of international cricket, that seam-bowling all-rounder and a fourth pace-bowling option was important to have,” Morgan told Sky Sports.

“I understand you want to give someone like Bethell exposure and games under his belt but for me, there are too many [spin options].

“You might be looking towards Overton as a longer-term solution, while I would absolutely have Curran involved in a squad.

“He is only 27 years old and continues to get better and better as he goes on. Whether you have him in the team or not is up for debate but the quality is certainly there.

“I don't think he has been pushed to one side. I just think England are exploring other options. That will have been the messaging from [head coach] Brendon McCullum and Brook.”