Early call may Harm Curran’s confidence
STEVE HARMISON has slammed England’s selectors for picking rookie Tom Curran ahead of Liam Plunkett as replacement for the crocked Steven Finn.
And the former Test star, 39, warned they could “kill” the youngster’s international career before it gets off the ground.
Harmy is furious at the decision to call up Surrey starlet Curran, 22, from the Lions squad after Finn flew home early from a second successive Ashes tour.
Curran only made his T20 international and ODI debuts this summer and has yet to play in a Test while Plunkett,
10 years his senior, has been on an Ashes trip before.
But head coach Trevor Bayliss plumped for Curran’s potential rather than the tried-and-tested Plunkett (below) as back-up.
It is a move that has left Harmy worried about how Curran will be handled after joining up with the senior side as they prepare to try to retain the little urn in Australia. He said: “Curran has to settle in quickly.
“They won’t play him in Thursday’s first Test in Brisbane. But Curran will still have to acclimatise quickly and try and get some overs under his belt. How that happens now I don’t know.
“Surely an experienced guy like Plunkett would have been better off going on the full tour and Curran staying with the Lions.
“Then if Curran did come into the Test side, he would have some overs in the bag.
“He would have played competitive cricket for the Lions rather than just bowling in the nets with England.
“I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy, having to carry drinks for five or six weeks and then being chucked into his first Test match. You kill a
22-year-old like that!
“I really don’t know what Plunkett has done to be overlooked.
“He has been to Australia before and is an experienced bowler at the top of his game right now.
“Liam has become a better, more intelligent and skilful bowler as he’s got older.
“We can’t match the Aussies for pace so surely it would have been a good move to pick someone like Liam who is so experienced.”