Meet the Currans – A family of cricketers
The latest family to have cricket in their blood has been given a chance by England, a nation that have already had the fortune of the sport being inducted into the genes of 14 father-son pairs.
Peter Willey, former right-hand batsman, has his son David, a left-arm fast bowler, representing England since 2015; ex-left-handed batsmen Chris Broad, now a reputed ICC match referee, is fortunate to have fast bowler Stuart as his son, who has already spent 11 years in the England dressing room, with many more to come.
However, the recent debut of pacer Tom Curran in a T20I against South Africa at Taunton saw the occurrence of a rare feat - father and son representing separate nations.
Kevin Curran, an all-rounder who served Zimbabwe, is sadly not there anymore to witness his sons play. In 2012, Curran collapsed while jogging and passed away. A dominant batsman with sharp seam bowling skills, Curran had lit up the English domestic cricket scene right since 1980, achieving the distinction of accumulating 1,000 runs in a single season on five separate occasions.
He debuted for Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup, and in just his fifth ODI, famously blew away India’s middle-order in the company of Peter Rawson at Tunbridge Wells – a game more renowned for the great Kapil Dev’s majestic unbeaten 175 not broadcast in any part of the world out of protest by the BBC.
The Zimbabwean hit 73 in the same match and followed that up with a gutsy 62 against the mighty West Indies two days later. When none could handle the venom of Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner, among others, Curran was one of only four to breach double figures and give their opponents 172 to chase after Zimbabwe were 42/5 at one stage.
Before playing for his country, Curran had commenced his career in county cricket in 1982 with Gloucestershire, to whom he remained loyal until 1990, when they declined to renew his contract. In between, Curran participated in another World Cup in 1987, where he played five matches, never to have returned at the international level.
A switch of counties from Gloucestershire to Northamptonshire made little difference. Eight years after joining his second county, Curran was promoted to captain the side, before he quit domestic cricket in 1999.
When Zimbabwe eventually gained Test status in 1992, Curran had nearly completed a decade of stay in England – by which means he was eligible for citizenship – and a potential resumption of international career for the country of his birth did not lure him.
Curran’s commitment to the game remained at its peak even after retirement. He first became assistant coach of Zimbabwe and then the head coach of Namibia. Post his stint with Zimbabwe’s neighbours, he arrived in his native country again in September 2004 as director of coaching at the CFX Cricket Academy in Harare. Marvelously fit as coach, Curran’s contribution to ensure a better health of cricket in Zimbabwe did not end there.
Less than a year later, in August 2005, he took up the duties of coaching the national side. He occupied that position until 2007 and in 2010, accepted responsibilities to coach the domestic side Mashonaland Eagles as well as that of a national selector.
But only two years had passed when Curran met with a freak crash while jogging – the exact circumstances were never fully known – as he collapsed to his death. By then, he was a confirmed citizen of England, to whose domestic cricket he had devoted 19 years of his career.
Kevin Curran’s eldest son, Tom, wore the England colours against South Africa. Though his debut came in a T20 match – he impressed immediately with a haul of 3/33 – Tom has established himself as a highly regarded right-arm pacer ever since joining Surrey in 2013. Born and brought up in Cape Town, South Africa, Tom’s talent to swing the ball with pace was spotted at a young age.
Former Surrey captain Ian Greig observed Tom bowl in school cricket and was impressed enough to offer him the opportunity to represent Surrey Second XI in 2012 when he was merely 17. In only his second outing, Greig was proved right when Tom bagged 5/21.
Compared to the furious and fearsome Dale Steyn by former Surrey coach Chris Adams, Tom broke through to first appear for his county in 2013 in an ODI against Essex. But it was not long before he rose through the ranks and debuted in a four-day game at Cambridge in 2014.
In only the following season, Tom tallied 76 wickets for Surrey with his emerging bowling full of raw energy, the most notable of those being twin seven-wicket hauls against Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire, both teams which his father Kevin Curran once represented.
That pushed Surrey back into Division One of the County Championship, and though additional workload played its role in limiting Tom’s joyride for a while, both he and his younger brother Sam won call-ups to the England Lions squad against UAE in 2016.
The most exciting aspect of Tom’s fast bowling was his natural ability to adjust with a change in format. He utilised his pace well in first-class matches, while turning clever with slower ball deceptions in limited-overs cricket for Surrey. Alongside taking his bowling to the next level, Tom remains hungry to develop himself into a handy batsman, and is prepared to handle the duties of a genuine all-rounder.
Sam Curran, the youngest of the three brothers, is not far behind in the ladder of success. An equally intriguing fast bowler – he is left-handed, though – Sam was born and raised in England, and joined Tom in the Surrey unit while still only 17. He struck gold on debut when he grabbed 5/101 while sharing the new ball with Tom. A fine swinger of the ball, Surrey claimed Sam was the youngest-ever to pick up five wickets in the Championship and the second youngest Surrey debutant.
His school allowed him a day off to play against Nottinghamshire in a Royal London Cup semi-final, which allowed him further exposure to the demands and needs of a domestic bowler. At 18, Sam possessed two runners-up medals in the Royal London Cup and today, at 19, is already knocking on the doors of the England selectors.
The third Curran of the current generation and the brother in between, Ben, as a left-handed batsman, is quietly but steadily chasing both his elder as well as his junior brother in making a name for himself in English cricket. He has already represented Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers and Nottinghamshire Second XI at 21, and looks keen to take the next step in qualifying for the senior Nottinghamshire team.
All three of Tom, Sam and Ben Curran are headed towards great accomplishments as England feel fortunate to have them. Further nurturing and maturing with time would mean three quality cricketers at a very young age would have developed into extremely talented and capable ones.
And when he sees his sons play the game at the highest level, what a proud father Kevin Curran will be! Chris Broad is already a smiling man seeing Stuart shine for all these years; Peter Willey and David Bairstow would have been honoured when the scorecard read “c Bairstow b Willey”, not only in 1979, but also when Jonny Bairstow had New Zealand’s Ross Taylor caught off David Willey to complete a family double in 2015.