Rishabh Pant Or Sam Curran? ESPNcricinfo Reveal Their Debutant Of The Year

2018 saw some notable players like Sam Curran, Lungi Ngidi, Rishabh Pant, Ben Foakes and quite a few make their debuts in Test cricket. The newcomer, nonetheless, made their mark straightaway. Ngidi’s six-wicket haul against world number one Test in India, Pant’s century at the Oval, Foakes’ century on debut in Sri Lanka or Curran’s sensational all-round performances against India were some of the most impressive performances. However, Curran has now left behind his fellow 2018 debutants to win the Best Debutant of the Year award at the ESPNcricinfo Awards 2018.

Curran’s numbers against India were not huge but his impact in the series cannot be undermined. He was the player-of-the-match in the first Test when he took crucial wickets in the first innings and scored a stunning counter-attacking 63 to give England a total to defend when they were reeling at 87-7.

He impressed again at the Ageas Bowl when he hit 78 and 46, helping England win the game. He had also taken the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli at Ageas Bowl. Curran was named Player of the Series, having contributed 272 runs and 11 wickets in England’s 4-1 series victory.

Sam Curran was also named Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year for his performances in the 2018 season and has now scooped the Best Debutant of the Year award at the ESPNcricinfo Awards 2018.

“There’s a reason why we voted for Sam as the Man of the Series. I think coming in at that stage in the batting order, and with the ball as well, he’s made very important contributions. If you look at the significance of the Test matches, the first one is massive, and after 2-1, the fourth one was massive, and he made plays in both those games. It takes character for someone to come in and play like that,” India skipper Virat Kohli had said after the series.

Few players made as much of an impact to their teams as Sam Curran did for England

His ability to turn the game around with bat and with the ball means he is our jury's pick for the best debutant of 2018https://t.co/Db0JcfuezJ #ESPNcricinfoAwards pic.twitter.com/pLKs0NPVFD

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 25, 2019

Meanwhile, the impressive performances helped Curran earn his maiden IPL contract. Kings XI Punjab secured his services for INR 7.2 crore (approx. USD 1m).