Sam Curran proved his worth with the bat at the start of England’s huge winter, leading Harry Brook to tip the all-rounder to keep hold of his recently-reclaimed T20 spot for some time.
While a hotly-anticipated Ashes series starting next month is already on everyone’s lips, England first have to negotiate three T20s followed by three one-day internationals across the Tasman Sea against New Zealand.
A T20 World Cup early next year means this trip could be crucial for a number of players, not least Curran, who had not been selected in an XI under England head coach Brendon McCullum until last month.
Having been dropped from England’s limited-overs sides at the back end of last year amid dwindling returns, Curran was told to “bang the door down” with bat and ball by McCullum to earn a recall.
A string of starring roles for Surrey and Oval Invincibles this summer opened the door for him again and he dug England out of a hole in their first T20 against the Kiwis, which was abandoned due to rain.
The tourists slipped to 81 for five after being asked to bat first, but Curran’s 49 not out off 35 balls helped them to 153 for six, a competitive total in favourable bowling conditions and on a tricky pitch.
While he was dropped twice and overturned being given out lbw, Brook, England’s white-ball captain, was delighted with the resolve of Curran, who won player of the tournament at the 2022 T20 World Cup.
“Everybody in world cricket knows he’s done it pretty much everywhere,” Brook said. “To have him back in the side, he’s a very valuable player to us now with bat, ball and in the field.
“Baz gave him a very honest reason for why he wasn’t selected in the first place. He went back, practised hard and he’s put out those performances and done really well in the last year and a half.
“He’s a very valuable player to have in the middle order, a left-hander as well. He’s going to be around for a while, I think. It’s good to have him back.”
Five of England’s vaunted top seven got to double figures, but Curran was the only batter to reach 30 in what was a fitful batting display before a downpour led to a washout in the series opener.
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Tom Banton and Jordan Cox were all caught in the deep, but Brook, speaking after his 50th T20 international, was unrepentant about England’s approach to keep swinging the bat.
“Obviously we didn’t get the start we wanted, but the message is going to be just double down,” Brook added.
“There’s a reason why we picked that batting order and the team is laid out the way it is, because if we get into situations like that there, we always have someone who can get us out of that problem.”
