Former England opener Michael Vaughan has slammed Sam Curran for his performance on the opening day of the second Test match against India.
Vaughan stated that the left-arm seamer bowler bowled like a schoolboy. Curran was not able to get the ball in the right areas and could not trouble the Indian batsmen after Joe Root won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Curran bowled 18 overs and conceded 58 runs without any wickets and looked toothless. The left-hander couldn’t get the swing on offer and bowled on the slightly shorter side, which made it easier for the Indian batsmen.
In fact, apart from James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, none of the England bowlers could cause much trouble to the visitors. Mark Wood bowled with express pace but he was on the short side and could not bowl enough in the corridor of uncertainty.
Michael Vaughan said while talking on BBC Test match special, “I love Sam Curran. He brings so much energy and buzz to any format. But I thought he bowled today a little bit like a schoolboy. It was so obvious the way he bowled, it was too easy for the Indian batters.”
“It was all right to swing one back into the pads and get you out. That doesn’t happen against quality. You’ve got to set the batters up. You’ve got to go across, across, and it might be the second or third over that you get one nipping back into the pads.”
With India in a commanding position at 276-3, Vaughan reckons England have trouble coming towards them. James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped two wickets but barring him none of the England bowlers looked threatening.
“I will be brutally honest. I think today showed me that we have got trouble coming ahead. You take Jimmy Anderson out of that attack today, and that is what England have got. We are probably just starting to see the prominence of Broad and Anderson, how great they are. You take Jimmy Anderson out of that attack today, I am sorry, the England team just looked okay,” Vaughan added.
England will want to strike early on the second day if they are to make a comeback in the ongoing Lord’s Test match.
