Curran vows to bounce back quickly

English fast bowler Tom Curran (above) has assured that there will be no repeat of his hammering at the hands of compatriot James Vince in their previous fixture when the Tshwane Spartans host the Durban Heat in their Mzansi Super League match in Centurion today.

Curran started well in his debut as the Spartans’ international marquee player, conceding just 10 runs in his first two overs and getting the wicket of dangerous Paarl Rocks opener Cameron Delport.

But Vince got stuck into him when he returned to bowl the 17th and 19th overs, hitting him for three fours and a six as 34 runs came in his last two overs.

Today he will come up against another hard-hitting Englishman in Alex Hales.

“First of all, to get the win was great and it was an unbelievable game of cricket in Paarl. I started well with the ball but then didn’t go too well at the end, but I will bounce back on Thursday. There should be a bit more pace in the pitch than in Paarl, but it’s about doing the basics well and I’m looking forward to hopefully getting a few wickets. We’re looking to build on that win and there’s a good vibe in the team.

“All the English lads are pretty good mates, but you want to get one-up on them, then you can have a sly dig or two,” Curran said at SuperSport Park yesterday.

The Durban Heat, like the Spartans, had their first two games washed out, including the match between the two sides in Durban, but they then suffered defeat at the hands of the Cape Town Blitz.

“The hero of that game for the KwaZulu-Natalians was batsman Wihan Lubbe, who slammed 83 off 42 balls, more than half of the Durban Heat total of 164 for seven, which was just shy of the target of 175.

Lubbe said the mood in the Durban Heat camp is still good.

“We’re not even halfway through the tournament yet and there are positive signs and we’re training very well.

“The rain hasn’t been great but we are still very optimistic about the seven games we have left.

“It was nice to get a run out in the middle and I was happy to contribute. Just to face someone like Dale Steyn was pretty special and it gave me a lot of confidence that I can do it at this level,” Lubbe said.