MELBOURNE: Young paceman Tom Curran will make his Test debut
in England’s only change for the fourth Ashes Test against Australia
starting in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The Surrey 22-year-old
fast bowler replaces injured Craig Overton, who succumbed to a rib
injury when the tourists relinquished the Ashes to the Australians in
last week’s third Perth Test.
Curran has played three Twenty20s and an ODI and was not originally chosen in England’s Ashes touring squad.
But
he got his chance when Steve Finn left the tour early with knee
cartilage problems and now has a Test opportunity following Overton’s
injury setback.
Captain Joe Root said he was backing
Curran to make the most of his opportunity in the showpiece Boxing Day
Test before huge crowds.
“Tom offers a lot and is a real competitor,” Root told reporters when announcing the team on Monday.
“He has that real sort of work ethic and the way he goes about things is very similar to Craig [Overton] actually.
“The
way he gets involved in the contest and you know he is going to get
involved in absolutely everything. He’s also very skilful and hopefully
he can have a really good week here.”
Curran won the Test nod ahead of Mark Wood and Jake Ball.
Wood
is nearing full fitness after touring with the England Lions, while
Ball struggled in his only Test appearance on tour in Brisbane.
“It
wasn’t an easy decision,” Root said. “We certainly had a little while
thinking about it on this surface and these conditions. For the balance
of this team I think Tom is the best option.”
