T20 World Cup 2022: Player of the tournament Sam Curran was commentator in T20 World Cup 2021

England created history by becoming the only men's team to hold the 50-over World Cup and T20 World Cup at the same time after edging Pakistan in the final at the MCG on Sunday, November 13. While red-ball skipper Ben Stokes stood tall during England's chase on a memorable night, it was the left-arm pacer Sam Curran, who set up the win for the Three Lions with his bowling efforts. Life came full circle for the pacer, as he was donning the role of a commentator in last year's competition.

England's star left-arm pacer had a tournament to remember in the 2022 T20 World Cup as he spearheaded the Three Lions to a triumphant campaign in Australia. Curran was named the player of the match for his exceptional bowling output of 3/12, which included the big scalp of Pakistani opener Mohammad Rizwan. 

But the story was quite different during last year's T20 World Cup in UAE, as Sam Curran was part of the commentary team for the tournament after missing out on selection due to a back injury. A year later, he was at the heart of things for Jos Buttler's victorious side, being named the player of the tournament for his prolific 13 wickets with the ball at an eye-catching average of 11.38. The 24-year-old was quite impressive at the death, returning with an impressive economy rate of 6.52 throughout the tournament.

Sam Curran has been a class apart in this tournament: Shan Masood

Such was the performance of Curran that even his opposition couldn't keep themselves from showering praise on the left-arm pacer. Pakistani batting ace Shan Masood, who was one of the victims of Curran in the final, praised the Englishman for his tenacity and versatility with the ball in hand.

"I think Sam Curran's been top-notch for a while. He's an in-demand player in this format, especially. He's an all-format player. He's just been brilliant. I think he's been very clever. He watches the batter till late. He just doesn't go to one particular, predictable length. He can bowl a good yorker. He's got a decent bumper. He bowls his cutters and then even his length ball is a heavy ball. When you see his stature, you want to take him on, but he is that class bowler and I think in this tournament he has been a class apart," Shan Masood said after the final.