ELECTRIC CURRAN
Super Sam ready to take spotlight from pal Stokes
ENGLISH cricket enjoyed a glimpse of its past, present and future in perfect harmony at the MCG – thanks to two all-rounders who have dominated two out of three World Cups.
Ben Stokes had been there and done it in 2019, sparking England’s run to the 50-over trophy with 89 runs, two wickets and the most outrageous of catches in the win over South Africa in their opening game.
His influence remained strong throughout before a peak finish in the final with the knock of his life, for a few weeks at least, to take the player of the match award.
This time it was the 24-year-old Sam Curran.
Playing in Australia and in a World Cup for the first time in his career, Curran was the catalyst, taking 5-10 in the opening win against Afghanistan before his 3-12 earned him the player of the match award in the final against Pakistan.
The two men are the best of friends off the pitch, and similarly competitive beasts on it, with the skills to match their character.
Once they had got the job done they got the party started – first in the MCG dressing room, where families and friends could join in, and then on the team bus back to the hotel, where Curran was leading the sing song up and down the aisle using the World Cup trophy as a makeshift microphone.
He even got head coach Matthew Mott to shave his head as part of a bet for winning the tournament.
The other part is a colour hair dye for Curran, of Mott’s choosing.
Stokes is slightly less demonstrative these days, but he, too, was in high spirits as the team deservedly celebrated long into the small hours of Monday.
Curran was in no doubt just how special the older all-rounder has been.
“I’ve always looked up to him,” he said. And he’s still out there doing it and contributing to all three phases of the game.
“I just think he has been there in the moments when it’s crunch time so many times recently and that gives you inspiration in the dugout when he’s out in the middle.
“What an amazing player, he’s got so much guts and passion, he just does it time and time again.
“He’s the biggest superstar in the English game.
“Hopefully he can keep on playing for a long time and I can keep learning from him and picking his brain.”
Both Stokes and Curran missed out on last year’s World Cup due to injuries and the team felt their absences in a run to the semi-finals.
And as long as they can keep themselves fit, England should get at least one more tournament from them together, before Curran takes on the mantle on his own.
“I can call myself a world champion now, which is pretty cool,” said the player of the tournament with 13 wickets.
“Any time you win a tournament and get that extra bit of success you want more.
“I chatted to the boys who won it in 2019 and asked what it was like to win a World Cup and they said it gives you that buzz and you want to do it again. And they are right.”