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.

Sam Curran averages 23.68 with the bat and 41.36 with the ball in the one-day format (Steven Paston/PA)

However, the tour was his first since undergoing groin surgery, which meant he missed out on a probable Test return in…