To focus on his physical and emotional well-being, England all-rounder Tom Curran has made the decision to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket. Curran, 27, has experienced a number of ailments recently and will try to simplify his schedule in order to keep his body in shape for the demands of white ball cricket. The eldest Curran brother has played for Surrey in the Vitality Blast and the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred in shorter formats. He has previously played in the Indian Premier League for the Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata Knight Riders as well as for the Sydney Sixers in the Australian Big Bash League.
Curran recently played for the Desert Vipers in the ILT20, and he will shortly join Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. Tom has made the difficult decision to temporarily withdraw from the longer format of the game due to the demanding demands of such an intense schedule in order to give his body and mind the time to rest in between white ball competitions.
The all-rounder hasn’t ruled out returning to red-ball cricket in the future; he’s just decided that at the moment, it isn’t on his mind. As he recovered from his injuries, Curran didn’t play a significant role for Surrey in a red ball in 2022, but he did make an amazing first-class century against Northampton at Wantage Road off just 85 balls. Members and fans may be unhappy that they won’t get to see Tom in uniform this summer, but they should be thrilled to witness a player in his prime during the Vitality Blast season.
“The last couple of years have 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,” Tom Curran said in an official statement released by his domestic club Surrey County Cricket Club.
“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,” he added.
“I know it is not ideal news for everyone at Surrey and our fans. But I wanted to say a truly heartfelt thank you to Alec Stewart for the support and understanding of my decision. Surrey has given me everything and is my home. I love it very much and my hope is everyone else will see and understand my decision as he has done. I look forward to being back at The KIA Oval in the summer for the Vitality Blast,” Curran said.
“Obviously when you lose a player of Tom’s quality from your County Championship squad it is a blow, but I have spoken to him at length about his decision and understand why he has made it. He has suffered with injuries in recent years and if this can help strengthen his body and keep him on a cricket field more regularly over the coming years, I fully support the decision,” Director of Cricket Alec Stewart said. “I look forward to seeing him back in May for our own T20 season,” Stewart added.
