You can see why they do not leave him out anymore and if he keeps batting like this he will soon be another contender to play at number three. Sam Curran top-scored for England – by one run – and yet again played a key role in bolstering a total alongside the tail.
This was his third half-century for England and he has reached every one of them with a six, a unique feat. He is no man mountain, the biceps do not bulge yet he smote six mighty sixes – on one of the world’s larger grounds – in a last wicket partnership of 60 with Jimmy Anderson that Curran himself described as “crucial” as it lifted England to 285. “We’ve got a nice score on the board now,” he said.
There can be an icy calmness about Curran, which seems to help when England are in tight situations. He was 16 not out when the ninth wicket fell and the portents were not good. Anderson was given lbw to his first ball (before being reprieved on review), he was dropped off his second. Yet soon, Curran explained, “Jimmy was telling me to calm down and to trust him. All of our lower order batsmen are capable of hanging around”.
Clearly Curran learns fast. He found himself in similar situations last summer against India and “went too early. I try to keep an open mind and to play the situation and I think I’m getting better at it as I trust the lower order more.”
Despite that trust in Anderson, misplaced or not, Curran took some considerable risks during their partnership but the modern player is not so shackled by the sight of six men on the boundary. “Joe backs our ability. He wants us to take risks when necessary and not to worry about making mistakes.” Forty years ago only Ian Botham practised hitting the ball over boundary fielders. Now Curran does it for a pastime.
He did not want to dwell much on his success; instead he was quick to laud the innings of Jos Buttler. “They were almost panicking out there when he was batting with fielders all over the place. He got on top of the bowlers so quickly.”
Here was another example of England’s new-found audacity, which is easily justified by the turn that is already available to the spin bowlers. “You feel there’s a ball out there that’s going to get you”, said Curran. “It’s going to be exciting for the spinners over the next few days and tough for the batsmen.”
