EXCLUSIVE Zimbabwe's Ben Curran on facing England, failing to fulfil his potential at Northamptonshire and being the 'tame brother'

Daily Mail​

21-05-2025

If you had placed a bet a few years ago on which of the three Curran brothers would be taking part in tomorrow's Test match between England and Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, you would have got good odds on the answer.
Tom, the oldest, was playing white-ball cricket for England in 2021. Sam, the youngest, was a regular member of both limited-overs teams, and would be named Player of the Tournament when Jos Buttler 's side won the T20 World Cup in Melbourne the following year. Ben, meanwhile, was being released by Northamptonshire, which was a novel way of fulfilling unfair stereotypes about the difficult middle child.
Yet it is Ben who will take the field in Nottingham. In another twist, he will be doing so for Zimbabwe, the country represented by his father, Kevin, in 11 one-day internationals. And because of Ben's time at Wantage Road, where Kevin spent nine seasons as a fiery all-rounder in the 1990s, it will be Ben passing on tips to team-mates in Zimbabwe's first Test against England for 22 years.
'Whoever we'll be playing in the Test, I've probably faced them,' he tells Mail Sport. 'I guess that's one thing I can share with the guys. It's huge for us. A game like this can only be good for Zimbabwe cricket.'
The left-handed Ben spent five summers at Northamptonshire, the county of his birth, before he was let go in 2022, having averaged just 25 in his 26 first-class games, almost all as opener. Confronted by a career crossroads, he chose to rebuild his career in Zimbabwe – and in December he made his debut in both Tests and ODIs.
'It was always in the back of my mind, potentially, to do it, and I thought the timing worked well,' he says, with an accent more southern African than East Midlands. 'I went back, played domestically and chatted to a few people about the possibility. All I really needed to do was perform well to earn a spot.'
The move has been the making of him. He ticked off a maiden first-class hundred in January 2023 for Southern Rocks, then joined Rhinos, where he has averaged 55, with another four centuries. In April, he scored 147 and 105 not out for Southerns against Northerns. In between, he marked his Test debut with scores of 68 and 41 against Afghanistan in Bulawayo. Now, he has the chance to prove himself against England.
'I definitely didn't fulfill myself at Northants,' he says. 'I was still learning, and being in and out of the team, getting one or two games here and there, I put myself under a lot of pressure. I look back at my time then, and think I'm a much better player now.'
While Tom and Sam have cultivated a reputation as ferocious competitors in the mould of their dad, who died of a heart attack at the age of 53 while out jogging, Ben places himself in a different category. Which of the three does he think is the feistiest?
'I would say Tom probably, but Sam's giving him a run for his money these days,' he says, before adding: 'I've got just be the tame one.'
The three boys – separated by a little over three years – spent countless childhood hours playing sport against each other, honing the instincts that have so far brought them a combined 2,699 runs and 199 wickets in international cricket.
'It was very competitive,' says Ben. 'That's what I feel is one of my – and our – best traits – being competitive in the battle. When we were growing up, there was a lot of cricket, and a lot of fighting as well.
'There was plenty of bowling for Sam and me, because Tom used to bat all the time. We had a tennis court growing up, and we were on there, 24/7, playing cricket, losing balls. As we got older, we had a cricket net, with my dad was always throwing to us, feeding balls in the machine.'
The brothers are now in regular contact on WhatsApp, and joked recently about 'taking over Asia' – Tom was at the Pakistan Super League, Sam at the IPL and Ben touring Bangladesh with Zimbabwe, who came away with a creditable 1-1 draw in the Tests. 'We don't see each other as often any more, but I'm looking forward to seeing them in England,' he says.
How proud would their dad have been that all three ended up as international cricketers? 'Yeah, I'd like to think so. And to think we potentially could play against each other…'
Ben has in mind the 2027 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and his own Zimbabwe. 'What a full-circle moment that could be,' he says. 'It would be amazing.'