What makes Sam Curran such an exciting prospect in Test cricket?
Sam Curran is an exciting 20-year-old cricketer who plays for England and Surrey. He is the son of former Zimbabwean cricketer Kevin Curran and brother of Tom Curran who is a fellow Surrey cricketer and has also represented England. So we can see a lot of cricket runs in his pedigree. So let's address the factors which makes him so exciting to watch and also look out for in the future in Test cricket:
#1 His mental toughness
He may be only 5 tests old but has already shown he is not flustered by tough situations. He has shown a lot of character for someone who looks just out of school. In the first test against India when English batsmen were falling like nine pins in the second innings and hobbled at 87/7 with a lead of only 100, Curran came in and played like a mature batsman with lots of composure.
His innings of 63 proved enough and, England squeaked through by 31 runs. In the fourth test, he was coming back after being dropped in the third test. Any cricketer would find it difficult to come back and perform in a scenario of getting dropped after performing so well.
It didn't bother him much and he played another game-changing performance of 78 in the first innings and for the second time in the series took England to a respectable total and a close victory. All days might not be good for him in the future but he looks like someone who would fight through them.
#2 His attitude towards cricket
He has worked really hard since he started playing cricket for Surrey. The English selectors obviously saw the tough work that he puts into his game and selected him for a debut against Pakistan.
He is a number eight batsman and could have easily played a rash shot when England were in trouble and nobody would have blamed him if England lost, but he didn't play with that negative mindset. His eyes told that he wanted to win the game for his team and played like a samurai with a sword in his hand. He showed respect to the opposition bowlers when needed. He bowled his heart out when given the bowl in hand.