World Cup 2019: Tom Curran says he chose BBL over IPL to prepare for ICC event

England all-rounder Tom Curran had made the preliminary squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 and is currently engaged in the ODI series against Pakistan. Curran, who had played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2018 which was his debut season, opted to give the T20 league a pass and instead chose to feature in the Australian Big Bash League this season in a bid to prepare for the ICC event.

Curran, in an interview with the Telegraph, has revealed the main reason behind him choosing BBL over IPL in the World Cup year. Last season, Curran had arrived in India for the IPL after a long international season which included the Ashes in Australia, followed by the limited-overs series and a full tour of New Zealand and then he was sidelined for the home series against India with a side strain and he had thoughts whether he wished to play in IPL 2019 or not.

IPL is mentally not as fresh as I would have liked, says Curran

“In the IPL, it just hit me a little bit as I probably was mentally not as fresh as I would have liked, and I think it was just a long period of cricket where I needed a break after having played without one for so long. So, I sat down and thought, what is the best possible build-up to this World Cup for me in terms of getting my game back to where I needed it to be?” Curran was quoted as saying by Telegraph.

Tom Curran, instead chose Big Bash League and played for Sydney Sixers and had a very good season, picking 20 wickets and scoring 185 runs. “I went there [Australia] and played regular cricket as they only have two overseas players, so you are guaranteed to play, with a nice run of games,” he added.

Also, the fact that the BBL is played between December and January, it offered Curran more time to work on his game for the World Cup, than playing IPL which ended 18 days before the start of the ICC tournament. However, with the rise of Jofra Archer and the performance he has put up in the series against Pakistan, Curran’s place in England squad is far from assured.

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