Sydney Sixers have signed England fast bowler Tom Curran on a one year contract for the upcoming 2018/19 Big Bash League season.
The 23 year old becomes the second English player to join the Sixers franchise after Joe Denly. He has been added to the squad following John Hastings’ health issues. Hastings retired from professional cricket on the advice of doctors after being diagnosed with persistent bleeding in his lungs while bowling.
The Cape Town born Curran has already represented England in all three formats of the game- his two test appearances, both in Australia, came on the 2017/18 Ashes Tour, while his ODI and T20 debuts came last year on home soil against West Indies and South Africa respectively. He is expected to be in England’s squad for the World Cup next summer, although there’s plenty of competition in that department, with the likes of Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Chris Woakes and the soon-to-be-qualified Jofra Archer, all vying for spots in the final 15.
Curran played 5 games for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League earlier this year, bagging 5 wickets and scoring 118 runs. Like his upcoming Sixers stint, his spell at KKR also came about as an injury replacement, filling in for the injured Mitch Starc.
He has also had a short stint in the T10 League for the Kerala Knights in UAE.
The Sixers will kick off their BBL campaign against Perth Scorchers at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday 22 December. Their next game will be a local derby against Sydney Thunder on December 24. The Sixers been one of the BBL’s more consistent teams since its inception, with one titles, two runners-up medals and one SF finish in the last six editions of the tournament. They also won the now-defunct Champions League T20 tournament in 2012.
The Sixers will be captained by Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques and coached by Greg Shipperd.