As the shadows stretched out at the Oval on a lovely soft, drowsy Friday afternoon, something strange happened. Sam Curran took the ball from the Vauxhall End, paced out his comically furious run-up, and began to whistle up an unfamiliar kind of energy.
Curran, with his 81mph full-pitch swingers, is an unlikely enforcer. But his outstanding quality is his intensity of purpose. Steve Smith fenced and was dropped by Joe Root. Tim Paine drove at an away-nibbler. Pat Cummins went lbw to another full, drifty hand grenade. Each time Curran came leaping down the pitch punching the air.
Written by Barney Ronay at the Oval
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/sep/13/sam-curran-england-ashes-steve-smith-barney-ronay under the title “Sam Curran gives England a snarl they have lacked in Ashes summer of Steve | Barney Ronay”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
