Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
England have been robbed of the chance to chase as the first match of the T20 series against India was washed out in Durham.
Just two days after Ben Stokes’ dramatic international retirement at Trent Bridge, Harry Brook – his potential replacement as Test captain – was in charge of bringing some order to England’s chaotic summer.
In the end, he was forced to settle on a soggy stalemate as rain fell continuously through the first innings, which saw India post a competitive 7-189, then worsened before the hosts had a chance to respond.
Stokes’ absence leaves another vacancy for an all-rounder as a well as a skipper in the Test side, with Sam Curran one of the possible options for the former.
Despite only recently returning to bowling, he gave a good account of his left-arm seamers, pinning the dangerous Abishek Sharma for 59 while in full flow.
He should have repeated the trick by dismissing Shivam Dube at the death, but Jos Buttler’s glovework let him down in the drizzle.
Curran was hit for six two balls later to rub salt into the wounds, but figures of 1-25 from three overs of brave variations will do him no harm.
England started with nine of the players who lost to the same opponents in the T20 World Cup semi-final in March, with the recalled Saqib Mahmood picking up 3-33 as he filled in for the rested Jofra Archer.
