Sam follows up bowling feat with top knock
SAM CURRAN scored a dazzling half century to save England from a crushing defeat in the first Test at Edgbaston yesterday.
The 20-year-old all-rounder watched from the balcony as England’s second innings top order were ripped apart to leave them on 86-6 and only 99 runs ahead of India.
But Curran, who took 4-74 with his seamers on the opening day of only his second Test, then showed he can do the business with the bat as well.
He paired up with spinner Adil Rashid to put on 48 for the eighth wicket and went on to make 63 in an England total of 180 to set India 194 to win, their biggest ever run chase in England.
Drag
Stuart Broad led the charge to reduce India to 110-5 at the close, needing 84 to win, but danger man Virat Kohli was still there on 43 not out.
David Malan twice dropped Kohli in his first innings and he punished the drops with 149 to drag India back into the Test.
But Jimmy Anderson said: “No one is invincible in world cricket and we can get him out.
“We will try to do that in the morning and we will go to bed dreaming about getting him out first thing.
“Most likely if we don’t and he bats like he did in the first innings India will win. We need five wickets quickly otherwise they will get the runs.
“We have to leave nothing out there in the first 15 or 20 overs – we have to give everything.”
But bowling great Anderson was unhappy with the dropped catches, adding: “On another day I could have got him out for
20 and we wouldn’t be talking about how brilliant he is.”
Curran’s gutsy knock was desperately needed after England’s senior batsmen had wilted against seamer Ishant Sharma (5-51) who took three wickets in an over either side of lunch, with Jonny Bairstow (28) and Ben Stokes (6) fencing him to the slips.
And Jos Buttler’s miserable Test as England’s new vicecaptain reached new depths when he was then caught behind for one after his first innings duck.
Anderson was full of praise for Curran, saying: “To go out in that situation and show the guts and determination he did to get the team back into the match, when it looked like we were down and out, was brilliant to see from a young lad.
“I remember me as a 20-yearold and I didn’t know what was going on, but he has been around quite a bit and his skills are brilliant.
“He knows just how to set batsmen up with the ball and with the bat he has the ability to be a top six batsman.”
England physio Craig de Weymarn needed emergency surgery in hospital for a jaw injury after being hit in the face by a practice shot from Ben Stokes yesterday morning.