Tri-Series: Youngster Sam Curran replaces skipper Joe Root

The Englishmen have had a contrasting summer this year. While they were demolished by the Aussies in the Ashes, they sealed the ODI series with an impressive win to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. The aggressive brand of cricket that England has developed after the 2015 World Cup has transformed them dramatically. It has been a trend that most ODI sides are looking to score 30-40 runs extra when they face England. They have got specialists right from the openers to the bowlers who can take the match away single-handedly.

Joe Root is one of the best batsmen in the world at the moment. Though he failed to deliver the big scores in the Ashes, he has pulled out a couple of good performances in the ODI series to see his team over the line. The series is in their kitty but they realize that the series is far from over with a whitewash looming in the horizon. Thus, he will be instrumental in the next two ODIs. However, Root has opted against participating in the upcoming tri-series that will include New Zealand and Australia.

Sam Curran to make his way to New Zealand

Sam Curran is all set to join his elder brother Tom Curran in the 2017-18 Australia Tri-Series. He would be a cover for Ben Stokes who has decided not play the tri-series before his court hearing on February 13. Tom has six wickets in his kitty from three matches at 16.83. He made his T20I debut against the Proteas last year.

Sam has been in good form of late. In the 43 T20s that he has played, he has picked up 40 wickets at an average of 28.45. In the recently concluded New Zealand’s Super Smash tournament, Sam picked up nine wickets in as many games. His selection has come at the expense of David Willey who has had a poor run in 2017. Even Reece Topley and Tymal Mills are having fitness concerns, as reported on cricbuzz. This means that Sam is in contention for his first cap in the tri-series.

The tri-series will be played in Australia as well as New Zealand. The first match will be played in Hobart on February 7 while the finals will be played in Auckland on February 21. While the Black Caps and Englishmen look in great touch, the Aussies need to come up with something extraordinary to win the series.

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