Brendon McCullum shrugged off Sam Curran’s struggles in Pakistan as England’s white-ball head coach suggested the all-rounder will have an important role to play at next year’s World Cup.

Initially exiled in McCullum’s England teams, Curran gradually gained the New Zealander’s favour and he has remained a reliable death bowler in T20s, but the jury is still out in one-day internationals.

England seek the balance he provides with both bat and ball at his best and while there were a couple of cameos in the middle-order in Pakistan, he has yet to make a fifty since his recall last year.

He leaked an England record 103 runs against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi and was toothless when Pakistan were one wicket away from defeat in Lahore as Harry Brook’s side missed out on the tri-series final.

However, the tour was his first since undergoing groin surgery, which meant he missed out on a probable Test return in the summer, while England often bowled second on flat pitches and in dewy conditions.

McCullum told the Press Association: “Sam had a decent lay-off and it takes a little while to get back up to speed, particularly in one-day cricket. He’ll be much better for getting four games under his belt.

“One-day cricket is arguably the harder format, fitness-wise, because you’re playing over an entire day. In high-octane Test cricket, you’re playing over five days but the intensity isn’t quite the same.

“I think he did some good stuff, to be fair, the conditions probably didn’t suit his style of bowling but he never shirks it, he’s the ultimate competitor, whether it’s bat, ball or in the field.”

Curran was the player of the tournament in England’s 2022 T20 World Cup triumph in Australia, where Brook’s side next visit, starting with the first of three ODIs in Perth on November 13.

Looking ahead to the World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 12 months’ time, McCullum believes the full package Curran offers will be vital to their chances.

McCullum said: “Sam’s done a good job since he’s come back in the last 12 to 18 months. The big grounds (in Australia) should suit Sam’s style of bowling and we know what he can do with the bat.

“For us, what’s important in World Cups where we could play 13 games in three different countries, the conditions are so contrasting.

“There will be a lot of new pitches as well, no-one’s really going to know how those pitches will play and they can change so much throughout the game.

“It’s important that in your squad of 15, you’ve got multi-skilled players that are able to bat, bowl and field so that you can pivot in-game based on what the conditions are and Sam’s one of those players.”

Despite one win in four matches to finish bottom of the standings in England’s first tri-series since 2015, McCullum is a fan of the concept and would welcome more being added to the calendar.

McCullum added: “I think it would be brilliant because I think it provides a lot of relevance, more extensively than bilateral series.

“The constant chopping and changing of planning and tactics against various teams has been the fun bit as a coach.

“You see how you’re tactics will have to be adjusted and how the boys were able to bounce between it. I’d love to see more tri-series if the schedule permitted it.”