The similarities are compelling. Both Sam Curran and Irfan Pathan are left-arm swing bowlers and punishing southpaws.
Curran has been bowling with verve for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL, taking the sphere away from the southpaw and bringing it back into him — a delivery high on the scale of difficulty.
Bothways movement
Irfan too, in the years 2003, ’04 and ’05, when he was at his peak, would move the ball both ways from over the wicket. The batsman would be kept guessing.
READ: All-round Sam Curran stars in CSK's win over Mumbai Indians
And their speeds too are similar. Curran, for most part, operates in the early 130s, and that was about the pace Irfan bowled at too. It was the two-way movement in the air and off the seam that did the batsmen in.
Irfan Pathan during an IPL game between Rising Pune Supergiant and Delhi Capitals in 2016.
The run-ups of both are rhythmic and this fluidity is carried to the delivery stride and the eventual release where the wrist plays a key role.
Both are skillful, have variations in pace, can alter the angles and use the crease effectively.
With the bat too, the two are alike; perhaps Irfan was a more organised batsman.
Sam Curran hounded the Indian team when it last toured England for a Test series with his cameos. In fact, the English lower-order fightbacks, that ultimately won the side the series, was invariably centred around Curran.
Fearless with bat
He is fearless with the bat, does not allow situations to bother him, and is a free-spirited batsman who unsettles bowlers.
READ: Fleming lauds Curran, says he covered well for Bravo
The canny M.S. Dhoni has employed him as a pinch-hitter for CSK and Curran has made an immediate impression with his bold ways.
Dhoni, as the India captain, used Irfan as a pinch-hitter and the vibrant all-rounder took flight.
Curran and Irfan are birds of the same feather.
