WINDIES OF CHANGE

Sam hopes top displays will force Test chiefs to think again

- DAVID CHARLESWORTH

SAM CURRAN might not fit the Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum blueprint – but he still thinks he has something to offer on the Test scene.

The left-armer made an instant impact in the five-day format as a pugnacious 20-yearold in 2018, contributing lower-order runs and valuable wickets as he was named player of the series against India.

But while he gained a reputation for key interventions at critical moments, Curran, now 26, has been unused in the ‘Bazball’ era.

Passed over when Stokes was injured in the summer, Curran was told by Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, that his bowling speeds in the low 80mph range counted against him.