Sam Curran ruled out of T20 World Cup with back injury

England all-rounder Sam Curran has been ruled out of the 2021 T20 World Cup with a lower back injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Tuesday.

Curran was taken for scans after complaining of back pain after the Chennai Super Kings' match against Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which revealed the injury.

Curran is now due to fly back to England for further scans and a full review from the ECB's medical team, the board confirmed. Here is what the ECB said in their statement:

"Surrey and England all-rounder Sam Curran has been ruled out of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a lower back injury. Curran complained of back pain after Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League fixture on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals. Results of the scan revealed the injury. He will fly back to the UK in the next couple of days and will have further scans and a full review later this week from the ECB’s medical team."

Curran had bowled his full quota of four overs in the match against Rajasthan Royals.

Sam Curran replaced by brother Tom in England squad

The ECB said that Tom Curran, Sam's older brother, has been added to England's squad as his replacement while Reece Topley has been roped in as a travelling reserve. The ECB wrote:

"Curran’s brother, Tom, has been drafted into England’s squad for the T20 World Cup. In addition, Surrey’s Reece Topley has been added as a travelling reserve. Topley will join the England party in due course."

Sam Curran will be a big miss for England, with his left-arm pace and ability to score quick runs giving them much-needed depth and balance. The team is already without another all-rounder in Ben Stokes and pacer Jofra Archer.

Chennai Super Kings also confirmed his injury and said Curran would miss the rest of IPL 2021.