Ben Curran, Sibling of Tom & Sam, Receives First Zimbabwe Call-Up for Afghanistan ODIs
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New Delhi, Dec 9 (NationPress) Ben Curran, the sibling of England's cricket stars Sam and Tom, has received his first call-up to the Zimbabwean team for the forthcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. Alongside him, the Zimbabwean selectors have also granted a maiden call-up to promising young left-arm pacer Newman Nyamhuri, who is part of the T20I squad.
Curran, who represented Northamptonshire from 2018 to 2022, earns this opportunity following his impressive performance as the leading run-scorer in Zimbabwe's domestic competitions, both in the 50-over and red-ball formats.
He is the second son of Kevin Curran, who played 11 ODIs for Zimbabwe from 1983 to 1987 and later served as the head coach from 2005 to 2007. His brothers, Tom and Sam, have both been capped in all three formats for England.
Tom was part of the victorious team in the 2019 ODI World Cup hosted in England and last represented his country in 2021, while Sam was named the Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament in England's 2022 T20 World Cup victory in Australia.
On a related note, Nyamhuri, aged 18, has emerged as one of Zimbabwe's standout young talents, having made a significant impact earlier this year at the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, where he finished as Zimbabwe's leading wicket-taker with eight dismissals.
Both Curran and Nyamhuri, along with pacer Victor Nyauchi, will replace Faraz Akram, Brandon Mavuta, and Clive Madande, who is recovering from a dislocated shoulder, in the ODI squad. The remainder of the squad is unchanged from Zimbabwe's recent ODI series against Pakistan.
In the only adjustments to the T20I squad, Nyamhuri will join alongside opening batter Takudzwanashe Kaitano, who is poised to make his debut in the shortest format, while Madande and Mavuta will miss out due to injuries and selection tweaks.
The series between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will take place at Harare Sports Club, commencing with three T20Is on December 11, 13, and 14, followed by three ODIs on December 17, 19, and 21.
Zimbabwe T20I squad: Sikandar Raza (c), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Trevor Gwandu, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Wessly Madhevere, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri.
Zimbabwe ODI squad: Craig Ervine (c), Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Joylord Gumbie, Trevor Gwandu, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams.
