"Baby-faced assassin" - Twitter reacts as Sam Curran 5-fer routs Afghanistan batting unit in T20 World Cup 2022

Sam Curran led England's charge against Afghanistan in their Super 12 opener at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022. The Surrey all-rounder picked up a five-wicket haul that saw the Afghans bundled out for a mere 112.

Opting to field first after winning the toss, England's bowlers were on the money from the outset, not allowing their opponents to settle one bit. Curran was at the forefront of it, even as he received support aplenty from Ben Stokes and Mark Wood.

England's fielders didn't miss a beat either, plucking a number of stunners on the park to cap off the perfect start. This was Curran's first appearance in a senior World Cup game and he made the most of it with the best figures by an Englishman in T20Is. He also found himself on a hat-trick at one point towards the end of the 18th over, before ending with four wickets in six deliveries spread across two overs.

Twitterati showered praise on the all-rounder for his feat, as well as for his spunk and skillset. Here's a look at some of the reactions:

Sam Curran becomes the first England player to pick up a five-wicket haul in a men's T20I

With stellar returns of 3.4-0-10-5, Curran became the first English player to bag a five-wicket haul in a men's T20I. He broke the record set by teammate Adil Rashid, who bagged returns of 4/2 against West Indies at the T20 World Cup last year.

Afghanistan huffed and puffed throughout their batting essay and it went downhill after Mark Wood prised out the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the third over. Ibrahim Zadran and Usman Ghani got a partnership going for the third wicket, but neither could convert their starts into anything substantial.

England's catching was on point, with Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid and skipper Jos Buttler pulling off stunners on the field. Moeen Ali too held onto a good catch and it was a clinical effort by the 2010 champions.

At the time of writing, the Three Lions are at 40/1 in 6 overs, with Buttler dismissed by Fazalhaq Farooqi for a run-a-ball 18. Dawid Malan has joined Alex Hales in the middle. England require 73 runs off the next 14 overs to register their first points in the Super 12.

About the author

Sooryanarayanan started off as a non-contracted text commentator at Sportskeeda 3 years ago and is today, the Cricket Commentary Manager. An MBA degree holder, a burning passion for the sport eventually led him to take it up professionally. He also writes insightful Feature pieces from time to time.

Sooryanarayanan sees cricket as a reflection of life’s ebbs and flows, and believes that the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy perfectly showcased it via the determination, courage and the never-give-up attitude displayed on field. He is a staunch Team India supporter and believes that the team has a very bright future. He admires MS Dhoni for how he approaches the sport and life as they come, being unfazed by both victory and defeat.

Sooryanarayanan tries to stick to facts and relies heavily on numerical data to present them. Keeping an objective and neutral view is one of his biggest reporting strengths, along with conducting thorough research and verifying all facts. His exploits in his field have led him to interview some star cricketers like Rovman Powell, Chamari Athapaththu, Deepti Sharma, Grace Harris, Peter Hatzoglou, and more.

When not immersed in Cricket, Sooryanarayanan loves to watch movies and web series, which helps him to focus better when he’s back to work.

Know More