Former India captain Kris Srikkanth criticized all-rounder Sam Curran after England’s defeat to the Suryakumar Yadav-led side in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. The former BCCI selector said that Curran failed to contribute with both bat and ball at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, March 5.
India won by seven runs over England in the second semi-final. English captain Harry Brook won the toss and decided to bowl first but gave away 253 runs in 20 overs. Jacob Bethel battled for England by scoring a sensational century during the run chase, but it was not enough for the team to cross the finish line.
Sam Curran is absolutely useless – Chris Srikkanth
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kris Srikkanth said that Sam Curran’s batting approach cost England at a crucial moment in the run chase. Srikanth said that when the team needed to score runs quickly, Curran relied heavily on singles and doubles.
Srikkanth said, “He is absolutely useless, taking one and two at the time. You can’t win matches with him, whether it is bowling or batting. He doesn’t have the strength to hit the big ones. Bethel was alone and couldn’t do anything. Overton is Underton, doing good left-handers at the end.”
He said, “Curran ate a lot of balls. He also put pressure on Bethel. He also bowled very poorly. Curran needed a strike rate of 250, not 130. He should have played like Tilak Verma. His innings were useless when he needed so many balls per over. Sam Curran destroyed England.”
Jos Buttler has completely lost it with the bat – Kris Srikkanth
Kris Srikkanth criticized Jos Buttler after his poor form in the tournament. Srikkanth said the openers looked far from their usual aggressive nature and struggled to make an impact. He said that the poor performance of the opening pair has made it even more difficult for England to chase the target.
“Buttler has completely lost his grip with the bat. I don’t know what happened to him. Buttler has turned into butter. He is playing like butter. He plays without any care, slogging and hitting a six here and there before getting out. Similarly, there is no salt or pepper in Salt’s batting,” Srikkanth said (via the above source).
Sam Curran, Jos Buttler struggling for England in T20 World Cup 2026
Sam Curran came in at number 7 when the team needed 82 runs from 36 balls. The all-rounder scored only 18 runs from 14 balls, leading to slow scoring at the crucial stage. Earlier in the match, his performance with the ball was also disappointing and he had given 53 runs in his four overs without taking any wicket.
Curran had some bright moments earlier in the competition. He finished the World Cup with a batting average of under 24 and a strike rate of 120.14, while his bowling economy rate was 9.46.
England’s opening pair, while chasing the target, also failed to give a strong start. Jos Buttler scored 25 runs in 17 balls, while Phil Salt was out after scoring five runs in three balls. Buttler ended the tournament with only 87 runs at an average of less than 11, and Salt recorded an average of 16.25 in eight matches.
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