Curran rises to the top of Test MVP Rankings

Sam Curran’s inspired performance has taken him to the top of this summer’s England Test Match PCA Most Valuable Player Rankings, with the 20-year-old spear-heading a successful start to the Specsavers Test series.

In only his second Test, Curran removed the Indian top three in their first innings, as he showed why he is one of the games brightest prospects. He followed it up with his maiden Test fifty, and another wicket in the second innings as England won a thriller by 31 runs in Birmingham.

Curran now has 55.56 points to his name and leads the way from James Anderson (52.36) and Ben Stokes (47).

16 years separate Anderson and Curran but England’s leading wicket-taker has still got plenty of overs left in him. With Tests to come at Lord’s and Trent Bridge, he will undoubtedly be challenging at the top come the end of the summer.

With Stokes missing the Lord’s Test, it gives a chance for Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root a chance to move into the top three of the red-ball Rankings.

England captain Joe Root is in fine form and looked set for his 14^th Test ton until he reached 80 at Edgbaston and was run-out by Virat Kohli, however there is the feeling that once he scores one the flood-gates will open.

The other change for the second Test sees Dawid Malan left out for the young prodigy, Ollie Pope.

Another 20-year-old from Surrey, he is sitting inside the top 30 of the PCA MVP County Championship Rankings, but his runs have helped his side establish themselves at the top of Division One.

He already has 684 runs to his name this year, trailing only fellow teammate Rory Burns, including three hundreds with a best of 158 not out.

A right-handed bat, he has made a prolific start to his career, reaching 1,000 first-class runs in 15 games, with an average of 63.25, all of them coming in the top tier of domestic cricket.

Top of the Overall England Rankings is the new Test vice-captain, Jos Buttler, with 203.73 points. He didn’t enjoy the best game to start the series, but has been in serious form throughout the whole of 2018, and is the type of player who always feels like is on the verge of something special.

He is closely followed by Adil Rashid who was re-called to the squad for his first home Test match. The leg-spinner had signed a white-ball only contract for Yorkshire but his form with England has been brilliant leading to a re-call. Again, he was quiet in Birmingham, but with the hot weather showing no signs of leaving he will be a key component as the series progresses.

To view the England MVP Rankings, click here.