Manchester 28th August : England cricket’s managing director and current head of the selection panel Rob Key has backed out-of-form openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley and Zak Crawley, saying he is willing to offer additional time to the duo despite them scoring 477 runs and an average of 21.68 in six home Tests this summer.Crawley has been suffering from an extended form slump at the top of the list, with the 24 year old opener scoring only 9 and 13 against Proteas in the first Test at Lord’s the Lord’s, that England lost by 12 runs and an innings within three days.
The right-handed batsman however, put up an impressive performance in the second test at Old Trafford, scoring 38 off 101 balls as England defeated the Test by 85 runs and an innings to draw the series 1-1.
Crawley hasn’t yet scored at least a half-century in his 15 Test innings however, and Alex Lees, who was out for four in the second Test, has scored 50 times in 17 innings since making his debut in March.
“There aren’t many players waiting to play at the top of the order, but they are all looking to bat four five or six,” Key told Sky Sports as reported by Daily Mail.
“Zak Crawley”, the strike (38 off 101 balls in the second Test) that he played here (at Old Trafford), allowed the middle order to play the way they did.We’re just trying to ensure that we’re giving people the chance.If there’s ever the need for the opening of new batters, or players, they’ll know that they will have the same amount of opportunity as the players have had,” said Key.
Key admitted that seeking an opening pair of the caliber of legends such as Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook was a tall task.
“We have been battling for 10 years between Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook searching for an opening partnership, and it’s the most difficult part of batsmen currently.We’ll try to give the duo (Crawley and Lees) the chance to shine.”
Even England captain Ben Stokes was appreciative of Crawley’s determination in the second test, when the chips were falling.Crawley had a perfect record with 17 runs in 77 balls during Day 1 at Old Trafford, and Stokes had told the stumps that, “Zak has got to take lots of credit for that innings he put together to set the scene for us in the middle order to be capable of playing that way.His decision-making throughout the entire innings was outstanding.Even though the balls he faced to the runners wouldn’t appear exactly like this, I thought he appeared so relaxed.
“When you are positive and have a positive attitude toward batting, it makes things much more enjoyable,” Stokes had said.
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