Sam Curran

He played in Zimbabwe's under-13 set-up before relocating, then rose through Surrey's age-group teams. Aged 17 years and 40 days, he became the second youngest player to make a first-class debut for Surrey, taking five wickets against Kent. He appeared at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup and toured the UAE with England Lions. With Ben Stokes injured, he received his first Test cap against Pakistan at Headingley in June 2018.

That summer India, then the top-ranked side, toured England. Chosen mainly to bowl, Curran repeatedly steadied England from number eight after middle-order failures, and his 272 runs and 11 wickets earned him Man of the Series in a 4-1 home win. He also played a key part in a clean sweep in Sri Lanka. Later Test tours of New Zealand and South Africa brought modest returns, and a back injury kept him out for much of 2021, including the T20 World Cup.

His white-ball cricket flourished. In an ODI in India he made an unbeaten 95 and almost chased a target of 329, winning Man of the Match, and he soon took his first ODI five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka. At the 2022 T20 World Cup, used as a death bowler, he opened with five wickets against Afghanistan and finished with 3/12 against Pakistan in the final, which England won. His 13 wickets at 11.38 made him Player of the Tournament. Quieter tours of South Africa and Bangladesh followed, and after a management change he was left out of the 2025 Champions Trophy squad.

In the IPL, Punjab Kings paid heavily for him in 2019; his economy suffered, but he claimed a hat-trick against Delhi Capitals and hit one fifty as a pinch hitter. Chennai Super Kings signed him for 2020, and in 2021 a back problem forced him out before the UAE leg. After missing 2022, he rejoined Punjab as the most expensive player in IPL history, and led the side for much of 2024 while Shikhar Dhawan was injured, helping win away at Kolkata and Chennai. Released afterwards, he went to Chennai for 2.4 crores at the 2025 auction.