BATTLE OF BROTHERS
Tom has last laugh as Currans make history but admits ‘ I wish I’d put Sam in the stands’
TOM CURRAN got his IPL adventure off to a flier, but bitterly regrets failing to smash brother Sam’s bowling out of the ground.
Normally team- mates, the Surrey and England duo became the first pair of brothers from these shores to face each other in the biggest Twenty20 tournament in the world.
Tom is turning out for the Anglo- centric Rajasthan Royals, while Sam has joined three- time champions Chennai Super Kings for the 2020 edition being played in the UAE because of coronavirus.
And even though the older sibling came out on top in a 16- run win, Tom is convinced the presence of 10 England players in the tournament will be a huge benefit for the national team with the next T20 World Cup due to be played in similar conditions in India next year.
“It was a strange feeling facing up against him,” said 25- year- old Tom. “We’ve always just played together, haven’t we?
“When I started playing for Surrey, Sam came in as the youngster. Obviously I tried to help him out and he settled in pretty quickly and found his feet.
“We’ve always just tried to help each other out, so it was a different type of concentration really seeing him running in at me.
“The last ball I faced, he tried to bounce me, which was surprising. I wish I’d stood still because I reckon that was my chance to put him into the stands. I’d have liked to put him into the stands!”
There was a star turn from Jofra Archer with the bat as he connected with four consecutive sixes at the end of the Royals’ innings before taking an impressive 1- 26 with the ball on a small ground in Sharjah favouring batsmen.
It is a ground someone like Tom Banton will surely be itching to play on, though he was left out of Kolkata Knight Riders’ side yesterday.
The sight of Banton warming the bench while his Somerset team- mates battle through their first innings in the Bob
Willis Trophy final might sting John Cleese even
Tom has his own view.
“It’s a strange situation,” he admitted. “But the IPL is just unbelievable, just the standard. It’ll be a great experience for all of us guys, and I think it’ll be no different for
Bants, mixing around with worldclass more, but players, playing against the best. It will stand him in good stead d moving forward, as it will for the e rest of the guys as well.
“It is just another chance for the e guys to showcase their skills on th the he world stage. After internationa international al cricket you would say that the IPL is the next big thing, so the more cricket and exposure the guys can get against the best, the better it will be for all of us.”
Watch the Rajasthan Royals take on Kings XI Punjab in the Dream11 IPL on Sky Sports this Sunday, September 27, starting at 3pm.