England’s Sam Curran named ICC Player of the Tournament
Curran’s Player of the Final performance against Pakistan capped a superb World Cup for the 24-year-old left-armer, earning him the ICC’s Player of the Tournament award.
Having missed the 2021 edition through injury, Curran stepped up to play a big part in England’s run to the trophy, emerging as a key bowler in the death overs and a useful wicket-taker for Jos Buttler’s side.
Curran finished the World Cup with 13 wickets to his name, second only to Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka.
He took his wickets at an average of 11.38, putting him seventh of all bowlers at the tournament, and finished with an economy of 6.52 – the best of all of England’s pace bowlers.
Curran’s figures are even more impressive given the times when England opted to use him, with the majority of Curran’s overs coming either at the back end of an innings or during the Powerplay.
The England bowler’s success came through the clever use of variations, combined with a tricky angle and the consistent execution of skills.
“The way I bowl, I go into the wicket with my slower balls and keep the batsmen guessing,” Curran said after helping his team to victory in the final at the MCG. “World Champions, how good!”
A combination of a panel of experts and an online fan vote saw Curran win the Player of the Tournament award ahead of a number of other high performers from the tournament.
Curran’s compatriots Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, plus Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Sikandar Raza and Wanindu Hasaranga were the other players nominated to the shortlist for the awards.
