'He's an absolute waste' - Kris Srikkanth slams Rajasthan Royals star after IND vs ENG semifinal

Kris Srikkanth lashed out at Sam Curran after the England all-rounder had a disappointing outing with bat and ball in the semifinal against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5.

England conceded 253 runs against India after Harry Brook won the toss and opted to field first. Curran conceded 53 runs in his four overs and went wicketless. With the bat, he scored just 18 off 14 balls at a time when England needed 82 runs in the last six overs. Despite Jacob Bethell's remarkable 105 off 48 balls, the Three Lions lost by seven runs as India reached the final.

Srikkanth called Curran "an absolute waste," adding that the 27-year-old ate up too many deliveries and put Bethell under additional pressure. The former India opener opined that "Curran finished England."

"He's an absolute waste, taking ones and twos at that time. You can't win a match with him, be it in bowling or batting. He has no strength to hit big. Bethell was alone and could not do anything. Overton is underton, doing a well-left at the end," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

"Curran ate up too many deliveries. He ended up putting pressure on Bethell also. He also bowled terribly. Curran needed a strike rate of 250, not 130. He should have played a knock like Tilak Varma. His knock was useless when they needed so many per over. Sam Curran finished England," he added.

Buttler has totally lost it with the bat: Srikkanth

Srikkanth was also critical of England's under-fire opening duo of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt. The former England captain scratched and clawed his way to 25 off 17 balls before Varun Chakaravarthy got the better of him. Salt, however, didn't spend much time in the middle as he was dismissed by Hardik Pandya in the second over of the run chase.

"Buttler has totally lost it with the bat. I am not sure what happened to him. Buttler has become butter. He's playing like butter. He just scored a fluke six here and there before slogging and getting out playing with no care. Likewise, Salt's batting has no salt or pepper," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

Buttler finished the campaign with just 87 runs from eight matches at an average of 10.88 and a strike rate of 116. On the other hand, Salt had slightly better returns, with 130 runs from eight knocks at an average of 16.25 and a strike rate of 158.54.