England all-rounder Sam Curran's brother all set to play for Zimbabwe

The Curran brothers have made a name for themselves in English cricket, but while Tom and Sam Curran have found success with Surrey and the England national team, their middle brother, Ben Curran, is forging a different path by returning to his roots in Zimbabwe.

Born to Zimbabwean cricket legend Kevin Curran, Ben and his brothers spent their early years in Rusape, Zimbabwe, before moving to England after their father’s untimely death in 2012. While Tom and Sam's careers took off in England, Ben took a different route, playing for Northamptonshire before recently committing to Zimbabwe, where he is now eligible for national selection.

At 28, Ben has made a strong impression in Zimbabwe's premier first-class competition, the Logan Cup, scoring 458 runs, including two half-centuries and a century. 

In a recent interview with Cricbuzz, Ben reflected on his connection to Zimbabwe, stating, "I think my accent would give it a way 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 real 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." 

With the possibility of Zimbabwe playing a one-off Test against England next year, Ben could potentially face off against one of his brothers on the international stage. 

"What a story it would be, right. We'll 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'd be thinking, she'd have a lot more emotions running through her I would think," he said.

Ben's cricket journey mirrors his late father's, who played for both Zimbabwe and Northamptonshire. 

"It's full circle, right? He played at Northampton, I did, and now I'm hopefully going to go back and also represent Zimbabwe, where he played and also coached, so it would be great if that happened," he continued.

Currently preparing for the upcoming season with the Mid-West Rhinos, Ben remains focused on performing consistently and making the most of his opportunities. 

"There's always a chance, I've just got to go back and perform consistently, and that gives me the best opportunity. At the end of the day, it's results-based. It's one of those where I've got to do all I can, and control what I can control, and hopefully that puts me in the best position going forward," he concluded.