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England all-rounder Tom Curran has decided to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket to focus on his physical and mental health.
Curran, 27, has suffered with multiple injuries in recent years and will look to streamline his schedule as he attempts to keep his body strong for the rigours of white ball cricket. In shorter formats, the elder Curran brother has represented Surrey in the Vitality Blast, as well as the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. He has previously played for the Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, as well as having a stint for the Sydney Sixers in the Australian Big Bash League. Curran has recently been plying his trade for the Desert Vipers in the ILT20 and will soon be joining up with Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. The imposing demands of such a full schedule has led Tom to decide to take a temporary step back from the longer format of the game to ensure his body and mind have adequate time to recover between white ball competitions. The all-rounder hasn't ruled out a return to red-ball cricket in due course but has simply decided that it is not part of his thinking right now. Curran didn't feature prominently for Surrey in a red ball in 2022 as he recovered from injury, but he did score an incredible maiden first-class century against Northampton at Wantage Road off just 85 balls. Members and supporters will be disappointed they may not get to see Tom in whites this Summer but should be excited to see a hopefully rejuvenated player in his prime during the Vitality Blast campaign. "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," Tom Curran said in an official statement released by his domestic club Surrey County Cricket Club. "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. "I know it is not ideal news for everyone at Surrey and our fans. But I wanted to say a truly heartfelt thank you to Alec Stewart for the support and understanding of my decision. Surrey has given me everything and is my home. I love it very much and my hope is everyone else will see and understand my decision as he has done. I look forward to being back at The Kia Oval in the Summer for the Vitality Blast," Curran said. "Obviously when you lose a player of Tom's quality from your County Championship squad it is a blow, but I have spoken to him at length about his decision and understand why he has made it. He has suffered with injuries in recent years and if this can help strengthen his body and keep him on a cricket field more regularly over the coming years, I fully support the decision," Director of Cricket Alec Stewart said. "I look forward to seeing him back in May for our own T20 season," Stewart added. (ANI)
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