Sam Curran eyeing Test return in the English summer

The young English allrounder Sam Curran is hopeful of his comeback to England’s test team in the upcoming home summer. Curran, who missed the T20I World Cup and the Ashes down under due to a back injury sustained during the IPL 2021, has said that he would like to be a part of the English test side for the series against New Zealand in June. 


“There’s a lot of cricket this summer, so I’m almost timing it so that I get a good summer, make it perfectly in time for the summer test against New Zealand in June”, Curran said. 


The 23-year-old has also stressed that the time he spent away from cricket allowed him to work on several aspects of his game, thereby helping him become a better player. 


“Of course, the back injury is a concern, but I guess it’s been an opportunity for me to have time away from the game. I’ve really enjoyed just working on my technique- bowling technique and batting technique- which I haven’t done for a long time because it’s always been game, travel, game. It’s always been just constant matches”, the Surrey allrounder said. 


Curran further admitted that it was excruciating for him to watch England’s poor performances in test cricket in recent times. He sounded committed to contributing what he is capable of once he makes his comeback in whites. The dynamic southpaw insisted on shaping both his batting and bowling skills to emerge as an impact player for the three-lions.


“Having watched the winter, it was hard to kind of put myself in their shoes and I wanted to be on the field helping them. It’s always the goal to contribute with bat and ball, I like to see myself as that impact player”, Curran said. “When I’m batting, bat like a batsman, when I’m bowling, try and bowl like a fast bowler”, he further added. 


However, the talented Surrey cricketer has refrained himself from putting a lot of stress on his body and insisted on gaining full fitness in a gradual manner. 


“I feel like I’ve done some really good work, made some good changes, but I don’t want to put pressure on myself because it’s not very helpful. Come next week, it’s all about just hoping you’re fit, hoping you’re strong and let’s go”, Curran concluded.         

 

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IPL 2022 | 'Very good bowling from their seamers' - Faf praises KKR after the win

RCB vs KKR match in Mumbai on Wednesday (March 30) turned out to be a nail-biter as RCB won the game in the final despite restricting the opponent to a below-par - 128. Wanindu Hasaranga was the one who dismantled KKR's batting lineup by taking four wickets, got support from Akash Deep and Harshal Patel, picking up three and two wickets, respectively. After the win, Wanindu Hasaranga, who won the Man of the Match award, said: "Crucial situation, I got only four and got out. I am delighted. Especially with the dew, it is tough to bowl. My favourite footballer is Neymar, and that is his celebration which I do. When I go play, I don't take any pressure. That's why I feel I got success." While chasing, RCB had a shaky start. They lost three of their key batters inside the powerplay. And, with a below-par total in hand, KKR bowlers also put up an exceptional performance. They maintained the pressure very well and took the game to the final over. However, Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel kept their calm and took the team to the finish line with 4 balls to spare. After the win, Faf du Plessis said: "Very happy. Small margins games are crucial at the start. We just tried to be positive, but excellent bowling from their seamers. There was seam and bounce, and KKR bowlers utilised it well. Two-three days ago, it was 200, and today it was 130. We want to be more convincing. Just the experience. The runs were never a problem. We just needed to have wickets in hand. DK is as close as it gets to MS Dhoni when it comes to being ice cool. I rely on other people for help. We have great people in the camp. There is good communication in the group. The guys have been great. They have been supportive. They are coming to me with ideas." After losing, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer said, "I found this game exciting. Before getting in, I spoke with my boys and told them that this game would define our character and attitude on the field no matter we defended or not. The way we fight it on the ground will reflect our mentality in the next few games. I am proud of how we played this game and took it to the last over. It was tough at that moment because I wanted to get my best bowlers up there and get a few wickets early on, but it didn't work out well. However, kudos to their batters; they played really well out in the middle. They took out the most challenging phase as soon as possible. In the end, I decided to go with Venky because he's got really good experience bowling at the international level, and you need to back them, especially at the start of the tournament. They must gain confidence as early as possible, and this was one of the best games to get that." Iyer concluded.