One of the big news stories to come out of the cricket world recently is that England and Surrey’s all-rounder Tom Curran has announced that he will be taking a break from red-ball cricket to prioritise his mental and physical health, concentrating on Desert Vipers in the T20 International League.
The 27-year-old was earmarked as a high-potential cricketer early in his career and has notched a respectable record at various levels in the game, having played in the Indian Premier League, Big Bash in Australia, One-Day Internationals and of course, County Cricket for the aforementioned Surrey. However, the all-rounder has suffered various injuries in his career to date and has not played anywhere near as much cricket as he would have expected by this point, for a player of his standard.
Tom Curran has not featured in a Test since 2018 when he scored 39 runs not out and took one wicket in Sydney, as England fell to defeat against Australia. Having won 58 caps for England in One-Day and Twenty20, though, Curran will always be on the radar for selection and will no doubt hope that, once fully fit again, he will be in the mix for further international caps.
In the meantime, a busy schedule of limited-overs cricket will be the focus for Curran, who explained his decision to take some time away from other aspects of the sport at his County club, Surrey.
He said: "The last couple of years has not been easy for me. I have had a lot of time and this isn't a decision that I've taken lightly. Some choices in life I don't think you will ever be 100% sure and this is definitely one of those. But where I find myself at this exact moment, I feel like it is the right decision for my body and for my mental health.”
"I'm definitely not ruling out playing red-ball cricket again in the future, and I feel like I have unfinished business in this format for both Surrey and England.
"But until I can feel 100% committed and confident in my body to be performing day in and day out for Surrey in the County Championship, I feel that putting all my time and focus into our Vitality Blast campaign this year is the right thing to do."
With Tom Curran looking to focus on playing for the Desert Vipers in the T20 International League, those looking for Cricket Betting Advice might want to pay close attention to the Dubai-based side’s upcoming fixtures.
Desert Vipers are currently top of the T20 International League table and are benefitting from the great form of Alex Hales. The Englishman is the leading run scorer in the league and will no doubt be looking forward to linking up with fellow countrymen Tom Curran over the next few months as the Desert Vipers go from strength to strength.
