England all-rounder Tom Curran steps away from red-ball cricket for an indefinite period

England all-rounder Tom Curran has decided to step away from red-ball cricket to focus on limited-over formats. He also cited physical and mental well-being as the reasons for taking an indefinite period break from the longest format.

In his career so far, Curran has played 61 first-class matches and represented England in two Tests during the 2017-18 Ashes series. However, the 27-year-old didn’t play much matches in the last few years due to frequent injuries.

In white ball cricket, Curran appeared in 28 ODIs, and 30 T20Is for his country and last played a game in 2021. In the 2019 County Championship season, he featured in two first-class matches for Surrey County Cricket Club and registered his maiden first-class century against Northamptonshire.

Apart from international and domestic cricket, Curran majorly excelled in various T20 leagues held globally. The all-rounder has represented three teams in Indian Premier League (IPL), namely Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. On the other hand, he also participated in Big Bash League (BBL) and is currently playing for Desert Vipers in International League T20 (ILT20).

Speaking about his break from the longer format, the English all-rounder said the he took the decision considering his mental and physical well-being.

“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,” Curran was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

“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 on our Vitality Blast campaign this year is the right thing to do,” he added.