Surrey Sam Curran on friendly brotherly rivalry – and the hope that all three of them will play in the same team one day
Surrey’s Sam Curran says that while he envies brother Tom being part of England’s World Cup squad he’s just as chuffed for his other brother Ben, who is now flying the Curran flag at Northants, where their late father Kevin was such a fixture back in the 1990s.
“It’s great that Ben’s playing in Northampton, where my dad played for many years,” said Curran junior.
“That’s a pretty nice connection, that he’s bringing the family name through again at Northants. It’s a really proud moment for our family and the dream is that one day we’ll all be playing together for the same team.
“Ben’s an out-and-out batter, then Tom bowls right and I bowl left. My dad and my mum, when we were growing up, probably just wanted us to be totally different in the hope there would be no arguments with each other.
“We’re all ultra competitive. That’s just natural in a family where you’ve got three boys who love sport. There were a lot of arguments in the back garden.
“But we’re not as competitive as we used to be. Obviously, we’re competitive when we’re out in the middle. But nowadays at home it’s more friendly banter between us, like: ‘Why did you play that shot?’
“Tom plays in games that I don’t play in and I play in games he doesn’t play in, so it’s just feeding off each other’s information.
“He went to the IPL a year before me and he brought back experience that led on to me going into my first IPL. Things like that really helps.
“Tom hasn’t played yet in the World Cup, but it’s his first World Cup and the first World Cup in England that we can remember. Hopefully, he’ll get a go, get the chance to show everyone how good he is.
“For me I’ve got to put in some county performances and get into some form and hopefully get selected for the Test against Ireland at Lord’s. The pinnacle for any player is playing Test cricket and the Ashes, in England, will be pretty amazing. The Ashes is obviously at the back of my mind, but I’m just trying to take one game at a time.”
PICTURE BY KEITH GILLARD