Reinvention of Tom Curran helps repay Oval Invincibles' investment

Oval Invincibles had five days to prepare for the Hundred final after the group stage. Naturally, players and staff considered scenarios that might emerge at Lord's on Sunday night; even the most downbeat among them would not have contemplated being 34 for 5 after 36 balls.

The new white ball swung in the air under lights, and nipped around off the seam. Jason Roy, Paul Stirling and Sam Curran all fell in the powerplay for a combined five runs; Sam Billings was strangled down the leg side, and Will Jacks was caught in the deep. In their first men's final, Invincibles were on course for their lowest-ever total.

But when Tom Curran walked out to join James Neesham, the game changed. Along with Roy, the Curran brothers were two of Invincibles' first three signings back in 2019 as head coach Tom Moody looked to build the core of their side; four years and three seasons later, that investment in two young allrounders has paid dividends.

Curran's partnership with Neesham was worth an unbroken 127 in 65 balls, the highest in the Hundred. Ross Whiteley, who played a vital cameo for Southern Brave in the inaugural men's final two years ago, sat in the dugout anticipating a rescue job from No. 8, and ended up taking his pads off with a ball remaining.

Many sides would have looked to consolidate, scrapping up to a below-par total in the region of 120-130 that would doubtless have proved insufficient against Manchester Originals' batting line-up. But Curran and Neesham played with the clarity and intent of frontline batters. "The most impressive thing," Billings said, "was that it wasn't manufactured."

Neesham got things moving, slicing Zaman Khan for four off a free hit before belting him through midwicket to move into double figures. But it was Curran who dominated, scoring on both sides of the wicket: he was vicious on the pull, but his best shot was an uppercut off Josh Little that flew over point for six to bring up a 26-ball half-century.

Curran's innings - 67 not out from 34 balls - was the highest score by any batter at No. 7 or below in a T20 final, surpassing MS Dhoni's previous record of 63 not out when he drilled the last ball of the innings over Zaman's head for a straight six.

"It wasn't like, 'I'm going to take it down now.' Tom played some shots that you can't premeditate: he was playing on instinct," Billings said. "The simplicity with which he goes about it and the areas which he hits make him so difficult for people to bowl at. It was just effortless, really."

Billings was in the middle with Curran six days ago, sharing an unbeaten partnership of 50 off 27 balls to clinch Invincibles' spot at Lord's, and believes that he is at his best in such situations: "He was pretty pumped up. When he gets those glazed eyes and he's swearing at himself, that's a positive thing."

In the two years since his most recent appearance for England, Curran has suffered two stress fractures and quit red-ball cricket, which he described as "the right decision for my body and my mental health". It did not come as a major surprise, but was still notable: five years after playing two Ashes Tests, he had become a white-ball specialist.

Curran played for Surrey's T20 side as a specialist batter, making 229 runs from the middle order including a 33-ball half-century from No. 4 against Middlesex at Lord's. He only reached bowling fitness on Finals Day, going wicketless as Surrey fell short in the semi-finals, and had a short trip to Zimbabwe between the Blast and the Hundred to continue his rehab - and visit family - while playing T10 cricket.

In this tournament, he has been a revelation. Against Welsh Fire, he rescued a point with 38 not out off 18 balls, sealing a tie with a dive so desperate, it caused him to miss four games with an injured shoulder. On his return, he turned 90 for 7 into 139 for 7 against Southern Brave, hitting 43 not out off 28 balls before taking three wickets in a successful defence.

He finished the Hundred season with 175 runs off 99 balls across five innings, and was only dismissed once. A terse Jos Buttler declined to reveal if Curran had been in the selection mix for England's upcoming T20Is against New Zealand after the final, but he will make do with a Hundred winner's medal for the time being.

Curran has had to evolve with the ball. His trademark used to be the back-of-the-hand slower ball but batters gradually worked out how to play it, setting themselves for the change-up and reacting when he went pace-on. As Billings explained: "He had a lot of success with that, but he doesn't use it as much anymore.

"He consistently develops his skills: he has one where he goes down the back side of the ball, and a knuckleball that he's developed as well. He's been phenomenal in those hard phases: he's bowled the fifth over of the Powerplay, and got a key wicket tonight in Phil Salt… I can't really speak highly enough of him."

The Curran brothers have epitomised Invincibles' versatility and adaptability across the three seasons of the Hundred: they finished this season with only two of the top ten wicket-takers, and one of the top ten run-scorers, but overcame the absence of a number of first-choice players thanks to a strong local core.

Simon Katich, Originals' head coach, said that Invincibles had been the best men's team in the Hundred and their overall win-loss record reflects as much: 15 wins and only eight defeats in three seasons. They did not quite live up to their moniker this year, with one loss in nine completed games, but few would begrudge Invincibles their trophy.