Ben Curran Century Against Ireland
In an impressive showing of cricket ability, middle brother Ben Curran has put his name in cricketing history by scoring his debut One-Day International (ODI) century against Ireland. This happened in the last match of a three-match series at Harare Sports Club, where Zimbabwe won the series by a huge nine-wicket margin.
Curran showcased class with an unbeaten 118 off 130 balls, shouldered by 14 boundaries. Having made his debut for Northampton shire in English domestic cricket, he played for Zimbabwe where his father, Kevin Curran, once played.
The match opened with Ireland batting first after losing the toss. Half-centuries from Andy Balbirnie, Harry Tector, and Lorcan Tucker rendered their innings somewhat competitive as Zimbabwe’s reply was nothing short of brilliant. Curran put partnership of 124 runs for the first wicket with Brian Bennett, who scored 48, prior to Bennett’s departure. Curran then batted practically all the way with captain Craig Ervine, who finished it off unbeaten with 69 off 59 balls, to add an unfinished 122 runs for the second wicket, thus achieving the target with 63 balls to spare.
His century was not only a personal milestone for Curran but also a historic one for his family. Although he had two brothers, Sam and Tom, who played for England, Ben was the first among them to record an international hundred. This amplified the fact that lots of talent ran within the Curran family, which had cricket running deep across the two nations.
The performance, not only celebrated in Zimbabwe but resonating across the cricketing world, saw former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop laud Curran’s excellent paced innings via social media. He noted the striking resemblance of Ben to his brothers, both in style and looks, making the moment even more emotional.
For Zimbabwe, victory in this series was a huge thing: the first ODI series win against a Full Member team since August 2022, and first against Ireland in just under a decade. Yet again, it brings how they have been able to come back into the game under tremendous pressure after losing the second match of the series.
In fact, to offer his century, which not only sealed the series but also raised a ray of hope toward Zimbabwe’s future in cricket from England to play cricket there where his father had been a player shows heritage, persistence, and cross-cultural wheeling and dealing of cricket.
In cricket, these matches are more than numbers or a result. These are matters of stories, legacies, and the spirit of the game. That century by Ben Curran against Ireland will feature as one such story in which family, tradition, and personal redemption melted into one magnificent moment for cricket.
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