T20 World Cup 2022: "He is among the shortest in this tournament" - Ian Bishop lauds Sam Curran's performances on bouncy Australian tracks
Ian Bishop has lauded Sam Curran for delivering the goods in the T20 World Cup 2022 despite not possessing the attributes generally required to be successful in Australian conditions.
Curran returned exceptional figures of 3/12 as England restricted Pakistan to 137/8 in the title decider in Melbourne on Sunday, November 13. Jos Buttler and Co. then chased down the target with five wickets and an over to spare to win their second global title in the game's shortest format.
While reviewing the final on Star Sports, Bishop was asked about his views on the left-arm seamer's performances in the tournament. He responded:
"It's not easy to be bowling across all the phases. If you think about playing and bowling in Australia, you think about really fast bowlers or you think about tall bowlers. He is among the shortest in this tournament as a seam bowler."
The former West Indies pacer praised Curran for showcasing his skills as a bowler in all phases of a T20 innings. He elaborated:
"So to be able to exploit swing and control in the powerplay, go through the middle overs and exhibit control and skill there, and then come at the backend, where it's change of pace, short ball and wide yorkers and wide pace-off, I think it could be easily undervalued. So for one so young, to show the improvement that he has done here in Australia for a World Cup - brilliant."
Sam Curran from 2021 to 2022 - What a comeback. https://t.co/3SdY1Nnxlw
Curran finished as the highest wicket-taker from the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup with 13 scalps to his credit. His spell of 5/10 against Afghanistan in the group stage was also the only five-wicket haul of the tournament.
"We have seen that with Sam Curran ever since he made his international debut" - Ian Bishop praises youngster's mental capacity
Bishop was further asked about Curran's mental capacity, considering the way he bounced back after being belted in the semi-finals against India. He replied:
"Strong, strong, but we have seen that with Sam Curran ever since he made his international debut. I think what is also understated is to understand what a batter is trying to do at any critical point in the game and to be able to shift his delivery, hide it away from him or make the ball hit off-center."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by stating that the 24-year-old's impact on the tournament deserves to be penned. He observed:
"His bouncer is actually very, very deceptive. What we have seen here is outstanding, and stories and narratives and a lot of prose should be written about his impact for a youngster in this tournament."
RETWEET,
If you want Sam Curran back in CSK 💛 https://t.co/RVvzqfWj6J
Sam Curran was awarded both the Player of the Match and the Player of the Tournament. The former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder will likely be hot property if he makes himself available for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held next month.