Sam Curran's boundless enthusiasm leaves England wondering what might have been

NICK FRIEND AT THE OVAL: Curran had placed doubt where, previously, a Smith ton had been a doubtless assumption. A cast-iron century on a flat Oval pitch became something less certain. And ultimately, something that would not materialise

Scorecard

If there was an image to sum up an Ashes series, it was this.

A split second. A wild flash of the bat from Steve Smith – the very height of rarity. Joe Root thrust himself to his right. Ben Stokes – this Superman figure – hurled himself to his left.

And as the two threatened to collide, the ball burst through Root’s palms. As gravity dragged it tantalisingly towards the south London turf, the four hands of England’s two finest Test cricketers grasped fruitlessly, desperately grappling at thin air in an iota of futile desperation.

The bounding leap of Stokes’ hulking figure flying across Root’s line of vision could not have aided his chances. It was never a straightforward opportunity; even without Stokes’ intervention, Smith had swiped with such an unusual rashness that the ball flew sharply to his right and above his head.

In the end, Root lay spread-eagled. A sprawl of resignation. Finally, a chance. But a chance gone begging. Stokes chased after the ball, as is his wont.

Smith admonished himself, as so often he does on those rare occasions when his cape of invincibility briefly detaches itself.

At the other end, Tim Paine watched on – albeit briefly. He would fall shortly afterwards: the sixth instalment in a wretched procession that had begun when David Warner was adjudged to have edged behind for a single-figure score – the eighth such incidence in this series alone.

He now holds that record for himself – no other opening batsman in the game’s history has endured such a run in a single bilateral series.

In short, this was a five-match contest squeezed into a nutshelled microcosm. England, below par with the bat themselves, faced with dismissing Smith, while all other comers departed as quickly as they had arrived.

And much like at Edgbaston and at Lord’s and latterly at Old Trafford, England were left scratching their heads. The portrait of Root and Stokes flailing in mid-air would be a fitting motif with which to define a month of Steve Smith dominance.

The bowler here was Sam Curran. Remember him? Not a member of England’s World Cup squad, but very much part of the side that escaped Lord’s with victory against Ireland. He has spent the latter half of the summer as a frustrated spectator, selected in squads but not in teams.

^{Sam Curran played a key role in bringing England's day to life}

There is a question with Curran – one not necessarily brought on by himself – of what he has become. A bowler who bats? A batsman who bowls? A genuine allrounder? Or somewhere in between.

At the moment, the sense is that England don’t truly know, though those who have watched him grow up suggest that his peak years will be spent, foremost, as a batsman.

The man of the series against India in 2018, it was an award bestowed upon the left-armer as much for his capacity to impact a game as it was for tangible statistical excellence. There were 272 runs in four games, 11 wickets at an average of 23.54. The ball swung and Curran took full advantage.

Fast forward to England’s Caribbean winter, however, and it was a mightily different tale. Two games brought 50 runs and a high score of 17; with the ball, there was a solitary wicket – an average of 161, a strike rate of 252. The ball didn’t swing and, as such, Curran was neutralised as a threat.

Craig Overton’s selection ahead of him at Old Trafford appeared a curious move beforehand, and there was little in the match that quelled that theory.

And thus, England have found themselves somewhat snookered. With the calf injury suffered by James Anderson leaving an additional burden on Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer, while Chris Woakes has spent much of the summer nursing an ongoing knee complaint, Curran has been restricted to life as a spare part.

His return to the side here only came with Stokes’ shoulder tightness rendering him a bowling doubt. And on his return, he made a total mockery of his prolonged absence. Only Jofra Archer bowled more overs, while only Jofra Archer took more wickets.

There is a bounding enthusiasm to Curran, the type that allows him to counterattack effectively with both bat and ball. Even his innings of 15 on Thursday was a harum-scarum affair – a six, a four, an overturned dismissal.

When he enticed Paine to edge behind, he followed up by having Pat Cummins trapped in front by the next delivery. It is an opaque, bland cliché, but Curran just makes things happen.

Although it was Woakes who ultimately dismissed Smith here, no Englishman – certainly since Jofra Archer struck him on the neck at Lord’s – has troubled him with a spell of such considered intelligence.

^{Jofra Archer took six wickets for England}

His multiple efforts – he outbowled both Woakes and Stuart Broad on the day – were full of both skill and natural variation.

He would slant the ball across Smith on a regular basis, before arcing his hooping in-swinger back into his pads. In truth, their duel created little in the way of genuine opportunities, but he had given Smith – a supreme problem solver – a problem to solve.

He had placed doubt where, previously, there had been doubtlessness. A cast-iron century on a flat Oval pitch became something less certain. And ultimately, something that would not materialise.

Cast your mind back to Adelaide, 2017. A lot has happened since, not least in Smith’s cricketing existence. There, Anderson troubled him from an unusual angle, coming round the wicket and shaping the ball back into his pads. That it has taken England five Tests, to call on Curran to attempt the same felt like a missed opportunity.

It is the nature of Smith’s ever-present shiftiness that Curran’s angle forces him to rethink his angles. And while it was Woakes who would eventually trap him in front, Curran’s impact was impossible to overplay.

He is the kind of cricketer that Australians, one suspects, would look at with a grudging respect - in your face, courageous, all-action.

On his home turf and ahead of a busy winter, this was a timely reminder of all that is offered by the 21-year-old.