Despite being the most expensive player in the Indian Premier League’s history, England’s World Cup hero Sam Curran is facing criticism for his below-par performance with bat and ball.

Curran was bought by Punjab Kings for a whopping $2.23 million, but the team is currently languishing in eighth place in the 10-team table and is unlikely to qualify for the knock-out phase.

As of early Monday, with just one week remaining in the group phase, Curran was ranked 39th on the runs table with only one half-century and 216 runs from 11 innings.

Faf du Plessis, the South African batsman of the Bangalore team, has scored almost three times more runs and has seven half-centuries to top the batting charts.Curran, the left-arm fast bowler who was player of the tournament at the T20 World Cup for his run-stifling bowling at the death, has been ineffective with the ball as well.

He has only managed seven wickets (51st position) with an economy rate of over 10. The latest critic to comment on the 24-year-old’s underwhelming performance is former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who unfavorably compared Curran to his bargain-priced teammate Prabhsimran Singh after the latter’s century on Saturday.

“You bought Sam Curran for ($2.23 million), what has he done?” Sehwag told the website Cricbuzz.Despite the record-setting price tag, Sehwag had previously criticized Curran last month, stating that “he doesn’t have that experience yet.”

After a previous stint in the IPL with Chennai, Curran has made a strong start in this season’s competition. He stepped in as captain for Punjab in the absence of injured player Shikhar Dhawan and played decisive roles in two out of three matches. In particular, his bowling figures of 3-31 – his best this season – helped Punjab secure a victory against Lucknow, and his 29-ball 55 earned him the Player of the Match award in a game against the Mumbai Indians.

Despite the high fee paid for his services, Curran has attempted to downplay the pressure, stating in an interview with Sky Sports last month: “They’ve put a lot of faith in me and I guess I’m the type of person who tries not to put too much pressure on myself. Hopefully, I can deliver some good performances for the team. The price tag is what it is.”

Despite a promising start to the current IPL season, Curran has since struggled to perform on the challenging pitches and conditions, leading to criticism from pundits like Simon Doull. The former New Zealand paceman picked Curran as his biggest disappointment of the season, citing his poor bowling figures at the death and failure to live up to his high price tag.

However, Curran is not the only expensive player to disappoint in this year’s IPL. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who was the second most expensive buy in the auction, has been decent but not spectacular, hitting 274 runs and taking only six wickets for Mumbai Indians.

Several English players have also failed to meet expectations, which could be a concern for the country’s upcoming matches in the Ashes and one-day World Cup. England Test skipper Ben Stokes managed only two underwhelming performances for Chennai Super Kings before being sidelined with an injury. Harry Brook, who scored the first century of this season, has also struggled to make an impact for Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring just 63 runs in eight matches.

Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle expressed disappointment in Brook’s performance, saying that he had high expectations for the young batsman after seeing his century in Kolkata.

The series is Bangladesh-England. But beyond these two countries, the excitement of the series has reached India. Originally, a former Indian cricketer punched the Englishmen after Bangladesh won the series. Former England captain Michael Vaughan hit India in response to that. Former India opener Wasim Zafar tweeted after England’s T20 whitewash against Bangladesh. Wasim Zafar tagged Michael Vaughan and wrote, “Long time no see”.But after that tweet, the former English captain was somewhat quiet.

However, Vaughn broke the silence and opened his mouth. Taking a dig at India on Twitter, he said, “They (Bangladesh) have succeeded.” But still, they (England) are the world champions. England still looks very good for the World Cup. It’s great to have. India should also try and follow.â€?England’s T20 whitewash against Bangladesh. Wasim Zafar tagged Michael Vaughan and wrote, “Long time no see”.But after that tweet, the former English captain was somewhat quiet. However, Vaughn broke the silence and opened his mouth. Taking a dig at India on Twitter, he said, “They (Bangladesh) have succeeded.” But still, they (England) are the world champions. England still looks very good for the World Cup. It’s great to have. India should also try and follow.â€?/p>

England will play a three-match Test series against Pakistan on this historic tour. Stokes will donate the fees for each match of that series to help the flood victims. “It’s great to be in Pakistan for the first time to play the historic E-Series. It’s exciting to come as a Test team after 17 years. There’s a responsible attitude among the players and the support staff, it’s special to be here. ‘

The English all-rounder further wrote, “Sad to see the terrible floods that have hit Pakistan this year. Its impact on this country and its people is huge. This game has given me a lot in my life. I think it’s okay to give something back beyond cricket. I will pay the match fees from the Test series to the Flood Fund of Pakistan. I hope this grant will be useful in rebuilding the areas that have been most affected. ‘

It is to be noted that about 33 million people have been affected by floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Pakistan this time. Among them are 16 million children. The Pakistan cricket team wore a special jersey before the World Cup to help the flood victims. This time Ben Stokes stood beside them. The total amount of his match fee in three matches is more than Tk 53 lakh in Bangladeshi currency.