The all-rounder has been exposed by a selection which has bowled Jimmy Anderson and Ben Stokes into the groundSam Curran, seven Tests into his fledgling England career, could have been forgiven for thinking it was all a bit of doddle. Surrey’s 20-year-old all-rounder had tasted only success up to this point, every cap had resulted in victory and either his jail-breaking, lower-order batting or bustling, left-arm swing had contributed along the way. Related: West Indies bowled ‘fantastically well,’ says shell-shocked Moeen Ali Related: ‘Now I feel I can bowl on most pitches,’ says England’s Jimmy Anderson Continue reading...
Fast bowler tears through England in a breathtaking spell that reminds onlookers of a glorious West Indies pastAt drinks on the second afternoon, as England’s batting lineup sat in flaming ruins on 49 for seven, the DJ in the Kensington Oval’s party stand flicked through his record collection and plumped, rather predictably, for David Rudder’s Rally Round The West Indies.This was not the slow and slightly mournful brass version used as the region’s de facto anthem before games, however, but rather the full-blown calypso mix; the one that implores the people of the Caribbean to “rise again like a raging fire”. Related: West Indies v England: first Test, day two – live! Continue reading...
England all-rounder marks 50th cap by giving West Indies a taste of his indefatigable brawn and a natural ability to get the ball hoopingAt 9am the England supporters had swamped the public spaces outside the Kensington Oval, perusing the market stalls, taking on early fluids and jostling for pictures in front of the cover-driving statue of Sir Garfield Sobers.Inside the so-called mecca of Caribbean cricket another all-rounder was also being celebrated. In the pre-match huddle Ben Stokes received his 50th England cap from his former county teammate Steve Harmison, who once planted his personal flag in the region when blasting Michael Vaughan’s side to a series win in 2004. Related: Jimmy Anderson helps revive England against West Indies on sluggish...