England slumped to an ODI series defeat against South Africa at Lord's last night (September 4), and they've now slipped to eighth in the ICC's rankings. Here are five players who could turn their fortunes around in the format.
Sam Curran
Curran hasn't played an ODI since the series in the Caribbean at the back-end of last year, before the McCullum takeover was complete. While his record in the format with neither nor ball is particularly inspiring, his performances in domestic cricket across all formats this summer have built a strong case for an international recall. He was an integral part of Oval Invincibles' winning Hundred campaign, smashing sixes from No.4 and bowling extreme mid-40mph slower balls. Following England's loss at Lord's, Eoin Morgan – who brought Curran into the ODI fold in 2018 – backed a recall for the Surrey all-rounder. "I would absolutely have Curran involved in the squad," said Morgan on Sky Sports Cricket. "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."
Bringing Curran back into the side would allow England to strike a better balance in their attack by fielding a seam-bowling all-rounder in the top six. Currently, with Jacob Bethell floating between four and six and Will Jacks at seven, it's only possible to field a three-pronged seam attack. Switching out one of Jacks or Bethell for Curran would add depth in that regard.
Rehan Ahmed
Jacks and Bethell were smashed for 112 runs between them for the 10 overs they bowled at Lord's. Their struggles were thrown into sharper light by not only the excellence of Adil Rashid but also by world No.1 ranked left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj who, despite facing an onslaught from Bethell, claimed the defining wicket of Root. England have looked to combine both all-rounders to make up a second spinner, but relying on both to get through five overs doesn't allow Harry Brook much flexibility in his plans, or the ability to keep enough control through the middle overs.
An option England haven't yet turned to but who is in their squad is Rehan Ahmed. Their attitude towards blooding Ahmed in 50-over cricket has been surprising given the often gung-ho approach they treat other highly regarded youngsters with. Rehan has so far only played six ODI games, all of which came in 2023. However, his domestic coming of age this summer has changed the question around his readiness for higher international honours, beyond just being a successor to Adil Rashid. He batted at three for Trent Rockets, and took the same number of wickets in the competition as Rashid Khan. He is an increasingly compelling all-round option.
Jordan Cox
If England's approach to 50-over cricket under Brook hasn't been clear so far, it was crystalised after their loss in the first ODI against South Africa when he declared: "We probably could have gone a little bit harder". Brook wants his side to go all out from the off, put huge targets on the board and be a chasing team others fear. But it hasn't quite worked out like that so far. If he is to buy all-in to that approach, selecting Jordan Cox would be in line with that vision. Cox is a player who could bat anywhere, parachuted in at the top for Jamie Smith or somewhere in the middle with a bit of a re-shuffle. That would probably entail dropping both Bethell and Jacks, and adding a proper all-rounder in.
Cox was the Player of the Tournament in The Hundred and featured in three ODIs last year before he joined up with Test squad. His late call-up to the T20I squad to face Ireland later this month shows he's not far from England's mind.
Sam Hain
The other side of the scale would see Sam Hain finally given an extended run. Hain has remarkable List A stats, and currently boasts the second best average in the format of all time (57.76). One of the biggest criticisms of England's newer ODI players is that they have little experience in the format, and subsequently how to pace a 50-over innings. Hain has that experience, having played 64 List A games in his career. His only ODI appearances came as part of a depleted squad against Ireland in 2023, when he hit 89 on debut at Trent Bridge. Regardless of Hain's experience and statistical backing, it's unlikely England will turn to him. He hasn't been mentioned around squad selections and hasn't recently played for the Lions either. Equally, like Cox, bringing him into the side would require a pretty big re-shuffle in the middle order.
Zak Crawley
Stay with me. Crawley could be the answer to another formidable ODI opening partnership which England have been searching for since the Jonny Bairstow-Jason Roy combo was broken up. While they like Jamie Smith in the role across all formats, he's only so far shown glimpses of his potential as a top-order 50-over batter. Crawley – who is arguably best suited to 50-over cricket and has captained England in ODIs – might be a more ready-made option. And, the prospect of Duckett and Crawley crossing over from the Test format, even more unleashed in their striking, is mouthwatering. For what it's worth, Crawley also had an exceptional Hundred campaign, averaging 40, striking at 160 and finishing third on the run-scoring charts.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
