England’s Tom Curran believes the team is all confident though lost their first ODI against South Africa
Ever since England won the World Cup last year, their line-up didn’t change much. However, there were slight changes in the same which had to pay the team in their recent match against South Africa.
However, it is expected that the team would not take any chance this time and would go for a minimum change and Tom Curran feels very confident of the team bouncing back in Durham on Friday.
“We’ve lost games of cricket before and come back to win the series,” said Curran.
“I don’t think it’s a massive confidence knock, the boys are going to be training hard ready to try and level the series. I don’t think it will have affected anyone too much.
“You don’t want to lose a series at any time, but we’re taking it one game at a time. We have to win and we will be looking to do that.”
Curran is one of those players from the squad who were a part of England’s brilliant World Cup win and hence has been benefited from the decision to get selected for the South Africa tour. However, Curran would not opt for such extra benefits.
“I don’t necessarily think there’s more motivation, you’re always motivated,” added Curran. “When there are guys missing, there are going to be opportunities and no doubt we’ll be looking to take those.
“I didn’t play [at the World Cup] but it hasn’t changed my mentality going into these games, it was a great experience to be a part of that and, if anything, not playing is a little nudge and a little motivator to be out there at the next one.”
According to Sky Sports’ Rob Key, England going out with no changes to slight change for their second ODI can actually turn out to be fruitful.
“I don’t think they’ll change too much,”said Key.
“I don’t think Adil Rashid will come in for [Matt] Parkinson the legspinner. I think England want to have a look at these players, get the bench strength up, if you like, and start planning for the future.
“When the T20 series comes around, then a few more of the established players will come back in. That’s the way I’d do it as well, actually. You just have to suffer sometimes.
“Those younger players will want to put in better performance, they will have learned from that first defeat and England will want to give them another go to show that they have learned.
“You’ve still got Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, you’ve still got probably the best opening partnership in world cricket in Roy and Bairstow. It wasn’t actually the inexperience that necessarily cost England in Cape Town, they just didn’t play particularly well – they didn’t score enough runs – and so they will have to put that right.”
