England’s already slim ODI tri-series hopes were officially ended by Pakistan’s abject capitulation to Sri Lanka on Tuesday – but the reality is that a place in Saturday’s final would have papered over considerable cracks. And Sam Curran is in danger of disappearing down one of them altogether.

It’s less than a week since Harry Brook’s record-breaking double-century in Rawalpindi seemed to have put England in pole position to progress, only for Sri Lanka to knock off a total of 430. Three days later, Pakistan’s last pair added 89 – another world record – to clinch a breathless one-wicket win.

Both felt like miracles. And, on both occasions, Curran wasn’t able to perform the role England were hoping for.

In the first game, he had already bowled eight overs for 84 when Brook brought him back for the crucial 47th, with Sri Lanka still needing 43. And while Curran had Sahan Arachchige caught at long-on off a full toss, that came only after his first five balls had gone for 19.

It meant he became the first England bowler to concede over 100 in an ODI. Their second-most expensive analysis? That’s Curran, too: none for 98 against West Indies in Antigua in December 2023.

In the second game, against Pakistan, he did not obviously have a bad game: his 42 from No 6 helped Ben Duckett rebuild England’s innings from 52 for four, and his eight overs cost just 32, including four overs while Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf were turning the game on its head.

But, at that point, economy was no use to England. They simply needed a wicket, and Curran looked unlikely to provide it. 

Not quick enough to bounce opponents out, and with no swing on offer for his left-armers, he could offer only his borderline-stationary slower ball by way of variation. And Pakistan dealt with that comfortably enough.

None of this is to say that England’s twice-in-a-blue-moon defeats were Curran’s fault: the hall of blame is rich and varied. But, with a year to go before the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa, their desire to make him the team’s balancing act feels a bit of a stretch.

Curran is 28 now, but his ODI numbers are underwhelming: 737 runs at 23 (strike rate 86) and 46 wickets at 41 (economy rate 6.28). England are giving him more responsibility by moving him up from the No 7 and 8 roles he filled almost exclusively until two years ago, and have tried to turn him into a middle-overs specialist by keeping him away from the new ball.

But the suspicion remains that he is more effective in T20s than he is in ODIs, partly because the onus on batsmen to take more risks plays into his changes of pace.

Curran hasn’t been helped during this series by some of England’s selections. With Jofra Archer rested ahead of next month’s three ODIs in Australia, and both Adil Rashid and Sonny Baker left out of the last two games in Pakistan, Brook was twice hobbled by a lack of wicket-taking options.

To make matters worse, Josh Tongue – who nearly rescued the Sri Lanka game with two wickets in the final over – might have helped dislodge Rauf with his pace and venom on Thursday, but he had hurt a toe. And that meant an unlikely debut for Henry Crocombe, who removed Saim Ayub in his third over but leaked 57 in 6.1.

Other bowlers have put their hands up. Gus Atkinson has had his moments with the new ball, Jamie Overton has been England’s tightest seamer during the tri-series, while the 36-year-old Liam Dawson conceded only 19 from his first nine overs against Pakistan. But these are dribs and drabs, not an overarching remedy.

And if not Curran, then who? Here, there is another problem. Two alternative all-rounders – Rehan Ahmed and James Coles – both bowl spin, a department in which England are not short of options, and which in any case is unlikely to win a World Cup in South Africa. Craig Overton has just enjoyed a superb summer for Somerset, and so has George Hill for Yorkshire, where Joe Root is among his advocates. 

But time is running out to bring in someone new, and England’s investment in Curran is such that, of the XI who took on Pakistan on Sunday, only Root has more than his 47 ODI caps. A volte-face now would be strange timing.

It may even be the case that England see Curran as potential captaincy material, although Jacob Bethell is probably next in line for the white-ball job once Brook replaces Root in the Test role.

Mind you, Curran’s international career has always had an air of working out what it wants to be as it goes along. The former national selector Ed Smith once described him as England’s ‘swarm harmoniser’, a phrase that apparently means you help improve the team’s performance without being a star yourself.

Yet, for that to be the case, he needs a stronger line-up around him. As things stand, he is being asked to excel beyond the confines of his skill-set, and that is helping no one.