Surrey left-arm swing bowler Sam Curran has received his maiden call-up to the England squad for the Headingley Test against Pakistan as cover for ace all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has a tight left hamstring.

Stokes suffered the injury while fielding during a practice session on Wednesday (May 30) and did not bowl afterwards. He is yet to have a scan but will be assessed by England medical staff on Thursday. Reports also suggest that Stokes might participate in the Leeds Test as a specialist batsman. The 26-year-old averages nearly 35 with the bat in red-ball cricket.

Curran, who was named in the ICC World XI squad for the highly-anticipated T20I match against the West Indies at Lord’s on Thursday (May 31), will no longer be available for that game as he is due to train with the England team at Headingley.

Curran has taken the county circuit by storm this month. He is the leading wicket-taker for Surrey this season, with 18 scalps in 4 games at an average of 19.55.

The 19-year-old has taken 10 for 101 across two innings as Surrey thrashed Yorkshire by an innings and 17 runs in a First Division County Championship fixture at The Oval, with his victims including England captain Joe Root and India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

Having conceded the first Test against Pakistan at Lord’s, the Headingley Test is a must-win game for England to save the series. The second Test between England and Pakistan will start on June 1 (Friday).