Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
THE cricketing world has witnessed iconic pairs of brothers who left an indomitable legacy on the game because of their desire to partner in sport.
Over the years, the game has often witnessed siblings play together in matches and represent their counties on the big stage.
The list of brothers who have played alongside each other is long and also includes the legendary Zimbabwean duo of Andy and Grant Flower.
Seeing brothers play alongside one another in cricket has become a common phenomenon. However, it is not every day that one sees siblings don two different jerseys at international level, playing against each other.
Next year, Zimbabwe is set to face England in a historic one-off four-day Test match at Trent Bridge. The Test match is scheduled for May 22 to 25, marking the Chevrons’ first visit to England since 2003.
Interestingly, England international Sam Curran has come out to say he hopes to play the historic Test against his elder brother, Ben who has since pledged his allegiance to play for Zimbabwe.
The 28-year-old Ben is the son of former Zimbabwe international and head coach, the late Kevin Curran and the second oldest of the three Curran brothers. Tom is the eldest while Sam is the youngest and both have represented England at international level and both have World Cups to their names.
Ben Curran
However, Ben looks set to taking a different route. He is eligible to play for Zimbabwe and is not dismissing the chances of him donning Chevrons’ colours at international level.
In an interview with the Telegraph in England, Sam said he would love to face his brother in Test cricket. The 26-year-old all-rounder — who in 2022 became the most expensive Indian Premier League (IPL) player following his acquisition by Punjab Kings added that his dream is to see his brother walking in to open the batting for the Chevrons at Trent Bridge next year.
“I’d love to (face Ben in next year’s Test match). It will be pretty weird, and I guess my mum will be pretty nervous if it does happen. It will be special with my dad and family history and stuff like that, and we will be incredibly proud of him. So, fingers crossed.
“The last 10 to 12 years, my dad would have been looking down on us playing. And, fingers crossed, Ben can walk out and open the batting at Trent Bridge against England, which will be pretty cool,” said Sam.
Ben has already started knocking on the Chevrons selection door following a brilliant start to his 2024/25 Logan Cup season. He scored a brilliant 145 runs for Rhinos in their five-wicket win over Tuskers at Kwekwe Sports Club last week.
His 145 runs came off 190 balls in the first innings before going on to score 49 runs off 59 deliveries in the second innings.
In their Pro50 Championship opener against Tuskers, Curran made 24 runs off 20 deliveries as they suffered a three-wicket defeat. Their second 50-over game was against Mega Market Mountaineers where he scored a half-century, helping his team register a five-wicket win.
Curran made 56 runs off 77 balls as they successfully chased down the 193-runs target in 41,1 overs.
In September, the England-born Ben once again opened up about his wish to play international cricket for Zimbabwe should the opportunity avail itself. Ben said that his connection with Zimbabwe is strong having spent most of his childhood in the country.
“What a story it would be, right? We will have to take that as it comes, if it were to happen, it would be probably pretty weird, special, mixed emotions all round. Probably have to think of mum, what she would be thinking, she would have a lot more emotions running through her I would think.
“I think my accent would give it away a little bit. I have lived in both England and Zimbabwe, but I guess my connection to Zimbabwe is pretty strong, with the fact I grew up and spent most of my childhood there and with my parents being from there.
“We went to Zimbabwe when we were really young, I think I was probably four, five, after my dad had finished playing for Northampton. We moved, I guess you could technically say back to Zimbabwe, and I spent most of my childhood there, went to school there; more than half my life,” he said.
Prior to the game against England, the Chevrons are scheduled to face Afghanistan in a historic Boxing Day Test match at Queens Sports Club.
It will be Zimbabwe’s first Boxing Day Test in 28 years and the country’s first-ever New Year’s Day Test. Zimbabwe and Afghanistan will first meet in three T20Is set for December 9, 11 and 12 at Harare Sports Club. After that, they will face off in as many One Day Internationals (ODIs) scheduled for December 15, 17 and 19 at the same venue.
Action will then move over to Bulawayo for the Test series, with the first one scheduled for December 26 to 30 and the second being played from January 2 to 6.
To date, the country has hosted just a single Boxing Day Test, when Zimbabwe faced England in 1996 in a drawn match badly hit by rain at Harare Sports Club.
Since then, Zimbabwe’s only other involvement in a Boxing Day Test has been away from home, against New Zealand at Wellington in 2000 and when they played South Africa in the inaugural pink-ball, day-night Test in Port Elizabeth in 2017.
They also took on Sri Lanka in a Test match that started on 27 December 2001 at Colombo. Zimbabwe have not played a New Year’s Test before, whether on home soil or abroad. —@brandon_malvin
