Sam Curran Given England Test Contract For First Time
The Surrey cricketer has scalped 13 wickets and scored 292 runs for England in five Test matches.
Highlights
-
The Surrey cricketer has scalped 13 wickets and scored 292 runs
-
The 20-year-old had impressed with his all-round performance vs India
-
Adil Rashid has also been given a central Test match contract
The England Cricket and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday handed a central Test contract to all-rounder Sam Curran. The 20-year-old had impressed with his all-round performance in the home series against India, which England won 4-1. The Surrey cricketer has scalped 13 wickets and scored 292 runs for England in five Test matches.
The 20-year-old, whose father Kevin is a former Zimbabwe international, produced two impressive displays with the bat against India and chipped in with several wickets.
Curran, who made his Surrey debut aged just 17, was recently named in England's squad for their forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
Selectors have also awarded Surrey's Tom Curran, brother of Sam, an increment contract for the next 12 months, commencing October 1 2018.
Following Alastair Cook's decision to retire from international cricket after the Test series against India, there is a vacancy at the top of England's batting order.
But Cook's latest opening partner Keaton Jennings, the Lancashire batsman, misses out on a deal, as did Rory Burns, who had pressed his case when scoring more than 1,000 runs in the County Championship to help Surrey win a first title in 16 years.
Only 10 players with Test-match experience make the ECB list for 2018-19, when England will be in action at a home World Cup as well as an Ashes series.
Ben Stokes is included, the Durham player still awaiting the outcome of a disciplinary commission to conclude its findings into a charge of bringing the game into disrepute.
Yorkshire's Adil Rashid has also been given a central Test match contract, despite not playing red-ball cricket at the start of the year. Rashid signed an all-format contract with his county last week.
The 13 white-ball one-day international and T20 selections reflect a largely settled England line-up heading into the World Cup.
ECB central contracts for 2018-19:
Test: Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
ODI/T20: Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Liam Plunkett (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)
Incremental: Tom Curran (Surrey)
(With AFP inputs)
England Cricket Team