BBL: Tom Curran signs three-year deal with Sydney Sixers

Tom Curran has reaped the rewards for his fine display in his maiden season at the Big Bash League. The England pacer impressed for Sydney Sixers and left the Australian shores with a fresh three-year deal from the club. Curran has left the side to fly to Caribbeans for England’s upcoming ODI series against the Windies. His absence, nonetheless, has left the Sixers with a big void to fill ahead of the semi-final clash against Melbourne Renegades.

According to Australian daily The Sydney Morning Herald, the franchise had approached Australia stars Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to rope in one of them as possible of replacements. Both the pacers were fit when the franchise had contacted them before suffering injuries. Hazlewood recently missed the series against Sri Lanka after suffering a back injury during the India Tests while Starc tore his pectoral during the second Test against the Islanders.

Sixers cannot sign an overseas player either who is yet to play any Big Bash games. As a result, they will have to find a good replacement from the available options. They can pick one from the likes of Ben Manenti, Jack and Mickey Edwards, Henry Thornton or Greg West.

It, however, will be quite tough to replace Curran. The England star made a mark with both bat and ball. He scored 185 runs including one fifty and left the team as its second highest wicket-taker this season. The right-arm pacer picked up 20 wickets in the league.

Moises Henriques delighted

Sixers skipper Moises Henriques heaped praise on Curran, revealing how his batting exploits helped the team play extra bowlers.

“Having him there, we weren’t expecting him to contribute with the bat like he did,” Henriques said.

“[Consequently] we’ve had the luxury of going in with probably one too many bowlers into a lot of games, which is a nice luxury to have. The experience he has bowling at the death and under pressure will be the main thing we need to try and cover,” he added.

The all-rounder further expressed his delight over Curran signing the deal, calling it a ‘great news’

“It’s great news with him re-signing, he had a great year for us. He was fantastic with the ball, chipped in beautifully with the bat, and he’s only a young man, so I can only see him going from strength to strength, as long as he keeps believing in himself and playing the way he wants.”

Sixers, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back strongly from the 94-run defeat they suffered against Melbourne Stars before they take on the Renegades in the semi-final.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Big Bash League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.