Yorkshire CCC legend Ryan Sidebottom hails England's Sam Curran after T20 World Cup triumph

Curran was named player of the tournament for his 13 wickets in six matches, averaging a breakthrough every 10.4 balls while his control was also excellent as he went at just 6.52 an over.

The 24-year-old laid the foundations for England’s five-wicket victory over Pakistan in Sunday’s final at the MCG, taking 3-12 and leaking just a combined seven runs in the 17th and 19th overs.

His execution at the death has been particularly impressive and Sidebottom, whose left-arm swing helped to shape England’s 2010 triumph, lauded Curran for his knack for making an impact at crucial moments.

“He’s just very confident and he has that self-belief” said Sidebottom. “I think if you have that, along with talent, you can go a lot further.

“He’s a big-game player, he does it time and time again, and when things are maybe not going England’s way, he comes on and takes few wickets.

“He’s just one those players, he really is, he’s a fantastic cricketer who just makes things happen. He’s had a brilliant tournament.”

Sidebottom, who worked with Curran during his spell as Surrey bowling consultant in 2018, feared the loss of Reece Topley just before the tournament due to injury might have hampered England’s campaign.

Curran does not fit the mould of quicks who have typically shone in Australia as he is 5ft 9in tall and bowls in the low-to-mid 80mph range, but his accuracy and subtle changes of pace have been key.

His efforts saw him named as one of four England players – alongside Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Mark Wood – in the International Cricket Council’s team of the tournament.

Sidebottom said: “When Reece Topley got injured, he was bowling so well and I thought he would be a big miss for England – opening the innings, swing bowler, bounce, bowling good pace, confident.

“Sam’s just done his typical thing of taking to everything like a duck to water. He’s done so, so well.

“There’s always talk about him not being quick enough or he’s too small – it’s nonsense, you’re either a good player or you’re not.

“He’s a fantastic cricketer, he obviously deserves his place and I’m really pleased for him. He’s been one of the players of the tournament, he’s been unbelievable.”

Curran is one of several left-arm quicks to have caught the eye in Australia, alongside Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi, India’s Arshdeep Singh, New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Ireland’s Josh Little.

Sidebottom feels batters do not often face that type of bowling during practice sessions so can struggle to adjust when out in the middle.

He added: “You see it regularly in nets, batsmen facing the dog stick, it’s all right-arm wangers. The left-arm variation and change of line and angle is so important.

“With a left-armer you can defend one side, and although players hit 360 degrees now, there’s not many players in world cricket who can hit over extra cover so you can bowl to your field as a left-armer.

“It’s an art batsmen don’t always face and they probably find it a bit more difficult to attack.”

England head coach Matthew Mott agrees with Sidebottom and feels there is no limit to what Curran can achieve as a genuine all-rounder.

“He’s always chipping away,” Mott said. “When the pressures is on, he just wants the ball in his hand or wants the bat in his hand and wants to try and win the game for his country. He’s been special.

“Some of the overs he’s bowled – pressure overs – have gone for a ridiculous five or six runs, when they could have gone for 14 or 15. They’ve actually turned the tide of games.

“There’s no ceiling for him. He’s a great player. His batting has got more in it as well. He’s one of the sweetest timers of the ball we’ve got and he’s obviously a gun in the field.

“He’s going to be a very, very good player for England and could go down as one of the white-ball greats in my opinion.”

Curran feels getting his hands on his first piece of global silverware has just whetted his appetite.

“I can call myself a world champion now which is pretty cool,” he added. “Any time you win a tournament and get that extra bit of success you want more.”

Curran confessed to being relieved he was not needed at the crease as Ben Stokes kept his composure to anchor a successful pursuit of 138 at the MCG.

“I probably wouldn’t have loved being in the middle when we needed that target, he made it look very easy,” Curran said. “I’ve looked up to him for so long, he’s got so much guts and passion. That’s what you strive to do, be there when the crunch time is and that gives you inspiration and confidence in the dugout when he’s out in the middle.”