Slowly but surely, Sam Curran has established himself in England’s white-ball squads.
This hasn’t been a given for a large part of his adolescent career. If you remember, it was his brother Tom Curran who first got the gig in limited-overs cricket during a doomed tour Down Under in 2017. Sam, on the other hand, made his debut in the 5th ODI of Australia’s return limited-overs tour in 2018. His bowling performance of 2 for 44 in 6 overs remained a footnote, as Jos Buttler’s finest white-ball century guided England home with just one wicket and nine balls to spare.
When he took the field against Sri Lanka today, he was playing just his tenth ODI for England in more than three years. During that time, he’s been shuttled in and out of the England Test side, depending on both the management’s reading of the conditions, and the fitness levels of Anderson and Broad.
He’s yet to settle into a designated role in any of the three sides he features in. Rather, he’s selected to swing the ball every now and then, or hit 20-odd useful runs in a lower order cameo, depending on the team’s position and intent. These are the perils faced by every all-rounder in a modern cricketing side. But this lack of direction, and perhaps, responsibility, gave him underwhelming returns even as he gained valuable experience in the international arena.
Figure 1. Sam Curran's Test average after each appearance / Courtesy: Howstat
For example, let’s take his ODI bowling numbers before the 2nd match against Sri Lanka: he had bowled in nine innings at an average of 50.29, an economy rate of 6.12, and a strike rate of 49.29. But when he was given the new ball at his home ground against a brittle line-up, he carried over his swing-inducing form from the previous match to provide more concrete results. By the time he was done, his analysis read 10-1-48-5.
All his dismissals were forced rather than gifted. He had scalped two wickets – of Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando – via LBW in his very first over of the match. He utilised the rest of his quota to present an existential threat to the inexperienced Sri Lankan batters. Considering the lack of potent swing in domestic cricket for the latter, it is understandable why the stage was set for Sam Curran to produce the defining performance of the match.
He still had to extract enough movement and use his developing skills to suss out Nissanka, Hasaranga and Karunaratne while bowling out the rest of his quota. His spell effectively put an end to the contest before it had even begun. It was only Dhananjaya de Silva’s counter-attacking 91 that carried Sri Lanka to a more respectable, if entirely inadequate, first innings total.
In this match, Sam Curran utilised his intimate knowledge of the conditions to produce a masterclass that makes his career figures more digestible. He has always been known as someone who can exploit swinging conditions to compensate for his inability to produce raw pace. He did so with acclaim last night, swinging the ball each way before letting one skid through and scramble the minds of the Sri Lankan batters. For a boy/man of his height, he has a surprisingly effective bouncer as well. And at a ground that is heavily supportive of big-hitting, Curran held onto the subtle support provided by the surface to produce a perfectly-timed performance in his coloured kit.
In the short term, his maiden international five-fer (in 47 multi-format outings for England) will ensure that the local media strays away from calling for his removal from the side every time he has an off-day. But in the long term, Morgan and the management must be relieved that their punt on the young star is finally coming to fruition.
Sam Curran's IPL exploits have given glimpses of his true ability / Courtesy: BCCI
If Sanjay Manjrekar was an Englishman, he might have called Curran a ‘bits and pieces’ player rather than Jadeja. But this terminology negates the impact both of them can have on an LOI cricket match, very much like Ben Stokes, whose reputation precedes his humble white-ball numbers.
All-rounders in the modern white-ball game are meant to be more than the sum of their parts. This has lulled many contemporary sides into picking players who don’t contribute enough to the side on most days, while consistently blocking a spot in the side on all days. But the much sought after ‘balance’ such a player affords a team in the shorter formats of the game cannot be ignored either.
With this five-fer, Curran has broken out of the mediocrity plaguing his ODI bowling so far. He turned 23 years old just last month, which gives him plenty of time to step up to the role Morgan is creating for him in this side. The upcoming T20 World Cup can be the perfect platform for him to announce himself as the deserving successor to Ben Stokes. Both have a special knack for rising to the occasion and delivering breakthroughs at key moments, after all.
Better still, the two might function within the same side if the team balance calls for it (and if Tom Curran is unfortunately dropped in favour of his similarly skilled brother). Not that long ago, Sam Curran had played a blinder from the lower order in Pune, finishing on 95* from 83 balls against India. He failed to cross the finishing line in what was the series decider, but it was another valuable contribution that reinforced his potential with the willow in hand.
Sam Curran's Innings Wise IPL Batting Returns / Courtesy: Howstat
His evolution as a white-ball cricketer can also be connected to his exploits at the Indian Premier League. He was on the sidelines of his international team until he landed up in an ageing Chennai Super Kings squad last year. He impressed viewers in India and the management back home by marrying consistent opportunities with the exuberance of youth. His all-round performances were often the only bright spot in an otherwise depressing campaign for his franchise.
Being captained by two of the best captains in modern white-ball history – Eoin Morgan and MS Dhoni – must have given him the confidence he needs in his prolific talent. With a few more special performances at the upcoming IPL, and then, the World Cup, his numbers have the potential to precede his talent and anoint him as England’s next Big Moments Player.
