Surrey’s Tom Curran called up by England as cover for injured Jake Ball

Tom Curran, the uncapped Surrey seamer, described himself as feeling “giddy” following a 4.30am message that informed he would be making a 9,000-mile trip from Sri Lanka to join the England one-day squad that is currently touring the Caribbean.

Curran, 21, was added to the party as injury cover for Jake Ball after the Nottinghamshire man suffered a knee injury during Monday’s nervy eight-wicket win over a West Indies Board XI in St Kitts – their final warm-up before the three-match one-day series begins in Antigua on Friday.

Ball complained of pain in the back of his right knee during his third over and played no further part in the match – he was due for a scan – with England then turning to the elder of Surrey’s two Curran brothers for what is his first senior call-up.

“I woke up about half past four and saw I had a message from [national selector] James Whitaker on my phone,” said Curran, who pressed his case with 10 wickets in the drawn two-match first-class series against Sri Lanka A at which the selector Angus Fraser was present.

“I thought I’d give it a quick read and he’d be saying well done on the series – and I wasn’t thinking very clearly at that time in the morning. But then I saw the words ‘West Indies’ and I was awake then to say the least. It’s all pretty surreal right now. I’m giddy, I can’t wait to get out there.”

Curran, who shot to prominence in 2015 as his 76 wicket powered Surrey into Division One, leapfrogs his teenage brother and fellow Lion, Sam, in terms of the pecking order, with the all-rounder coming close to selection when David Willey, pulled out of the Caribbean tour last month due with a shoulder injury. Nevertheless, the older Curran’s news was well received.

“I waited until 7am and Sam wasn’t very pleased to be woken up – it’s our first day off,” added Curran. “But he understood when I told him, and he was as excited as me.”

Curran is not the only new arrival on England’s short tour, with Alex Hales joining but not officially added to the squad as he continues his recovery from a broken hand suffered in India at the start of the year. Paul Farbrace, who is leading the group while the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, has time off, revealed the opener was unlikely to be fit for the first two fixtures in Antigua but could return when the series wraps up in Barbados next week.

Farbrace said: “Basically he’s coming to continue his rehab with hard balls and sun on his back. He’s been hitting tennis balls and soft balls with a cast on so he’ll join us tomorrow but he is not officially in the squad. I would think he will have to work a lot to prove he is 100% fit. There’s no point in rushing him.”

In his absence Jonny Bairstow could be given the opener’s spot after top-scoring from there on Monday with 86, with Jason Roy’s bruised right hand not risked. Roy is expected to return, however, meaning Sam Billings, who has played in place of Hales since his injury but made just one score above 30 in six white-ball innings, could be the one to miss out.