The virtue of being an all-rounder means you are never out of the game. And so while Sam Curran felt “bleak” after the second golden duck of his Test career, it was also the driving force behind his golden arm delivering the cherished wicket of Kane Williamson.
Curran’s previous first-baller came against Sri Lanka in Pallekelle last winter but a side injury sustained earlier on in the match meant he was not able to bowl in the fourth innings as England’s spinners wrapped up a 57-run victory.
But after being trapped lbw first ball by Tim Southee on the second morning at Bay Oval, and in a country where seam is king, Surrey’s precocious 21-year-old had the chance to seek some retribution with ball in hand. Removing the opener Tom Latham with his third delivery of New Zealand’s first innings went some way towards this, even if there was a suggestion of inside edge that the opener perhaps did not detect given he had also struck his pad with bat.
But it was the left-armer’s late dismissal of Williamson off a 78mph length ball that rose off the surface and was gloved through to second slip that truly hit the spot. “I was pretty bleak when it happened,” said Curran, reflecting on his earlier demise at the hands of Southee, falling over an inswinger. “[But] luckily enough when you bat and bowl you can try to take some wickets for the team.
“You could say that I like to make things happen in a game. I’m a very competitive person, so I like to get in the battle even on a wicket that may not suit me. If you’re just going to sit back and let them do things against you, I feel I won’t succeed.”
It’s the kind of up-and-at-em attitude that has endeared Curran to the England management and, While he described the wicket as “probably” the best of his 12-cap career, there was perhaps an element of recency bias involved given India’s Virat Kohli also sits among his first 35 Test victims.
Southee gave a timely reminder of his ability by slicing through England’s lower middle order, with his four for 88 coming after some local voices had called for the uncapped Lockie Ferguson to take his spot before the match.
This should have been five but for Jeet Raval dropping Jos Buttler in the deep. And so while the 30-year-old may not boast the same pace as Ferguson, with swing on offer and the fast-mediums getting the most out of the surface, l
Southee, a veteran of 68 Test caps and more than 250 wickets, said: “Obviously there’s a lot of talk and everyone is entitled to opinions. It’s up to individuals to worry about your own preparation and what you do … it’s exciting to have someone like Lockie in the squad.”
