Nasser Hussain heaped praise on all-rounder Sam Curran, after England defeated New Zealand to keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive. England headed into Tuesday's game on the back of two rain-affected matches which led to a shock DRS defeat to Ireland and a washout tie with Australia.
Jos Buttler's side therefore knew they had to defeat the Kiwis at the Gabba to stay in the competition, and that they did thanks a 20-run victory. A number of England's big name players stepped up to the mark, with captain Buttler making 73 from 47 balls and his opening partner Alex Hales racking up 50 from 42.
With the ball Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone all played their part in reducing the damage inflicted by a star-studded New Zealand batting lineup.
But it was Curran who caught the eye of Hussain, who himself proved pivotal in stifling the Kiwis' run chase, picking up impressive figures of 2-26 from his four overs. Writing for the Daily Mail, Hussain praised the Surrey all-rounder for his ability to bowl at the death, which will prove important if England are to go all the way in Australia.
The former Test captain said: "Sam Curran has given England another dimension with both bat and ball. He is a finisher in the last five overs of an England innings with the bat and a finisher with the ball, too.
"Every game is a knockout match now and when it came down to the pressure situations yesterday Curran showed a clarify of thought whenever he had the ball in his hand. He sticks to a plan and never second guesses himself at the crucial moments.
Hussain was also complimentary of skipper Buttler, not only for his remarkable performance with the bat but also his calls as captain in key moments in the match. The Sky Sports pundit went on: "Jos Buttler was exceptional in everything he did. He is a genius with the bat but he is also growing as a captain.
"He stuck to his match ups a lot more than he has done in the past, bowling Moeen Ali for that one over at the start but then just not bowling him at all after that when the right handers in Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson were going strong. He first showed how flexible he is by changing his thinking and batting first and that was absolutely the right thing to do.
"Then when England fielded he rotated six bowlers in the first seven overs, depending on who was on strike and who they would least like to face." Despite an impressive win, England's work to reach the knockout stages is far from over. As a result, Buttler's team will be required to defeat Sri Lanka on Saturday an better the net run rate of rivals Australia secure a semi-final spot.
