Pakistan, July 5 -- Sam Curran said Friday he is ready to fill the huge gap left in England's Test side by the international retirement of former captain Ben Stokes if called upon to replace the outstanding all-rounder.

Stokes's stunning exit at Trent Bridge, announcing he was quitting England duty on the fourth afternoon of a Test that his side went on to lose heavily as they suffered a 2-1 series defeat by New Zealand, has left team management with some tricky problems.

While white-ball skipper Harry Brook and former Test captain Joe Root are the obvious candidates as England's red-ball leader, the question of who fills his shoes as a fast-bowling all-rounder capable of balancing the side looks to be a thornier issue. The often-undere...