England rest Ben Duckett and call up Sam Curran for forthcoming T20 series

England have taken decisive action after back-to-back ODI defeats against South Africa, resting the weary Ben Duckett from the forthcoming T20s and recalling Sam Curran for the first time this year.

There have been calls to give Duckett a break ahead of this winter’s Ashes, with the lively left-hander looking unusually subdued in the Metro Bank Series against the Proteas.

Duckett is a first-choice all-format player, and is earmarked for a vital tempo-setting role against Australia this winter, but a draining summer of five full-blooded Tests against India followed by a month of The Hundred have taken a toll.

The 30-year-old was off colour during his stint with Birmingham Phoenix in August and was unable to find rhythm as South Africa wrapped up wins at Headingley and Lord’s. He will now sit out the three 20-over games against the Proteas next week, though it remains to be seen if he will retain his spot at opener for Sunday’s third ODI in Southampton.

Captain Harry Brook had rejected the idea that Duckett should be rested in the immediate aftermath of the narrow defeat at Lord’s, but there has since been a rethink behind the scenes.

That includes an olive branch for the previously out-of-favour Curran. The Surrey all-rounder has not played for his country this year, an exile that coincided with head coach Brendon McCullum taking over the reins of the white-ball team, but has put together a strong season on the domestic circuit.

He was a key component of the triumphant Oval Invincibles side in The Hundred and has garnered plenty of attention with bat and ball, as well as developing an eye-catching slower ball.

Curran has been added to the T20 squad to face South Africa and will also join the three-match trip to Ireland. England’s lack of a seam-bowling all-rounder was exposed by the Proteas as they clinched the series on Thursday, rinsing the part-time spin of Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell for 112 in 10 overs, and Curran stands by as a readymade solution.

Meanwhile, pace bowler Matthew Potts will not be making the trip to Malahide and will be made available for Durham’s Rothesay County Championship conclusion instead.

England great Stuart Broad pre-empted the selection rethink as he picked the bones out of England’s consecutive defeats, suggesting some of the all-format players were running on empty.

“I thought England looked a bit tired. It’s understandable, that is not me having a dig,” he told Sky Sports Cricket.

“They played 25 days solid, hard cricket against India in the Test series and two days later they were straight into the The Hundred. Now they’re playing a white-ball series and the winter is only getting busier.

“Now they have lost this series I would be half-tempted to send Ben Duckett and Joe Root up the M1 (to go home) rather than down to Southampton for the third ODI.

“I think there are some jaded minds. The group look tired. I always look at body language in the field for how it’s going and it felt pretty flat. That’s a bit of a problem.”