Sam Curran

Cricket literally runs in his blood. The third generation around - his grandfather being a First Class cricketer for Rhodesia, his father being a national cricketer for Zimbabwe - Sam Curran is one of the many white African cricketers of this decade to have moved out of his traditional roots and to have relocated in the United Kingdom to ply his trade.

A diminutive, mild-looking left-arm seamer whose natural angle helps him swing the Dukes away from right-handers, he doubles up as an able batsman lower down the order; and given the ease at which he looks with bat in hand, it could soon become his primary skill.

While his brother, Tom Curran, rose up to become primarily a limited-overs bowler, Sam went the more conventional route. Hailed as a prodigy in his younger days, he progressed rapidly into Zimbabwe's under-13 ranks before relocation, and then through Surrey's age-division cricket and became the second youngest player to make his FC debut for Surrey at 17 years and 40 days, impressing immediately with a five-wicket haul on debut against Kent.

He was soon picked for the 2016 under-19 World Cup, followed by a spot in the England Lions' tour to the UAE later in the year. An injury to Ben Stokes meant that Sam was fast-tracked into national reckoning, getting his maiden Test cap at Headingly against Pakistan in June 2018.

His biggest moment under the sun came in the home summer of 2018 against the then number one side in the world, India. Picked primarily as a bowler, it was his abilities with the bat from number eight that helped rescue England after middle-order collapses, match after match. It was no surprise when he was named the Man of the Series for his all-round contributions (272 runs and 11 wickets) that saw England win 4-1. He carried on his form into the Sri Lankan tour, playing a key role in England whitewashing the islanders.

However, his red ball game dwindled in the coming months, with mediocre returns on his tours to New Zealand and South Africa. Injuries also took a toll on the youngster, and a back injury kept Curran out for a substantial part of 2021, where he missed the T20 World Cup and that season’s IPL.

Sam Curran’s white ball form though was moving in a different trajectory, as he shot to fame with a Man of the Match performance while on tour in India, where he scored 95* in an ODI and almost chased down a huge target of 329 from an improbable situation. Shortly after that series, Curran picked up his first fifer in ODIs against Sri Lanka. And then Sam Curran’s crowning moment in limited overs cricket came in the 2022 T20I World Cup. He was given a new role as a death overs bowler in that tournament, and performed spectacularly. Curran started the World Cup with a fifer against Afghanistan, and ended it with a Man of the Match 3/12 performance against Pakistan in the final which helped England claim the trophy. He picked up 13 wickets in the tournament, at an average of 11.38 to be named the Player of the Tournament.

Curran’s form has taken a slight dip since that World Cup, with meager returns while touring South Africa and Bangladesh. Nevertheless, he remains a mainstay of the English white ball setup, having improved his bowling significantly and being a handy customer lower down with the bat as well.

IPL Through the Years
Sam Curran’s Man of the Series performance against India in the 2018 Test series came at the right time, as recency bias made teams stretch their purses to acquire his services for the 2019 season. Despite being a relatively unknown commodity in T20 cricket, Curran commanded top dollar as he was picked by Punjab Kings. He had a very ordinary first season in the IPL, where the lack of swing on flat Indian pitches made him enjoy to bash for the batters. Curran’s economy suffered massively that season, but he did manage a decent return on wickets which included a hat-trick against Delhi Capitals that turned the game for his side. Curran was also used as a top-order pinch hitter on occasions, and scored one fifty.

The following season, Curran was released by Punjab Kings and picked up by Chennai Super Kings. He was the shining star in a Chennai side that massively underperformed in the 2020 IPL in the UAE, and contributed decently with ball and bat. Curran continued his fine form in the 2021 season, when CSK came roaring back but had to pull out of the UAE leg of the competition with a back issue. The left-arm bowler then sat out the 2022 IPL, and when he registered himself for the next auction off the back of a very successful T20 World Cup, Sam Curran became the most expensive player ever in IPL history, as he was reunited with Punjab Kings.