CURRAN’S TEST OF NERVE
TOM CURRAN is desperate to be given another shot at Test cricket by England after being thrown in at the deep end in Australia.
The 22-year-old Surrey all-rounder was handed a tough debut in Melbourne on Boxing Day.
By then the Ashes had already gone and the older of the two Curran brothers was presented with the flattest of pitches, before facing a similar situation in his second game.
“Obviously, I came up against two good wickets that were challenging,” he said. “When Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are saying, ‘Look, don’t worry, you’re not going to get many flatter’, it makes it a bit sweeter.
“But I’ll be looking to go back, perform in the Championship this season and push for all three formats for England.”
Lancashire all-rounder Liam Livingstone has been passed fit for England’s Test series against New Zealand later this month.
The 24-year-old suffered an ankle injury on Lions duty in the Caribbean last month but is due in Hamilton on Monday with the rest of England’s Test specialists. DAVID WARNER will not be axed as Australia’s vice-captain despite his bust-up with South Africa’s Quinton de Kock.
The pair had to be kept apart outside the dressing rooms during the first Test in Durban.
But Aussie coach Darren Lehmann said: “He’s the vice-captain of the team. We’re certainly supporting David.
“We’ve just got to make sure we don’t cross the line.”