Zak Crawley’s spot on this winter’s Ashes tour is surely secure now.
It probably was before he made 84 against India at Emirates Old Trafford on the sort of pitch he loves because England’s faith in him, publicly at least, has never wavered.
While those outside the camp question a player with a Test average of 31 after more than 50 games and a penchant for nicking off cheaply, those on the inside don’t.
But if there were any seeds of doubt in the minds of Messrs Stokes and McCullum as they plot how to win the upcoming series in Australia, they have been eased.
I always want more from myself and I’ve certainly wanted more for myself than I’ve got in the last year or so. That’s just an internal thing, I don’t feel
that pressure from anyone else. Days like this make the practice and the tougher times worth it a bit more.
Get Crawley on a surface with pace and bounce and he is away, driving confidently on the up as the ball comes onto the bat and scoring at a brisk rate.
Looking ahead to Australia and decks like the one Crawley impressed on in Manchester could be seen, thinking particularly of Perth, where the Ashes starts on November 21, and then Brisbane.
Crawley has already shown a glimpse of his ability in Australia with a second-innings 77 from 100 deliveries in Sydney during the final Test of England’s 4-0 drubbing in 2021/22.
The knock, peppered with 13 boundaries, made a series of Baggy Green batting legends stand up and take notice, including Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor.
And he has already scored a century against Australia, a riotous 189 from 182 balls at Emirates Old Trafford – we told you he liked that place – during the 2023 Ashes.
Crawley averages just 31 in Test cricket but England have retained faith in him
That series, if you, remember began with Crawley cracking Pat Cummins through the covers for four en route to a 73-ball 61 and overall against Australia he averages 43.06 from eight games.
That is another reason England want him on the plane.
Crawley and ‘unbelievable’ Duckett thriving as partnership
Crawley seems to be able to raise his game against the best fast bowlers around and Australia are blessed with a batch of those in Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Plus, his fruitful partnership with the diminutive Ben Duckett – one that paid off again in Manchester on Thursday as the little and large opening duo feasted on wayward deliveries from India to share a stand of 166 from 195 deliveries – continues to reap rewards.
The difference in sizes seems to frazzle opposition bowlers, while Crawley being right-handed and Duckett left must also make it difficult hitting a consistent line and length.
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Watch highlights from day two of the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford as Crawley and Ben Duckett shared an opening partnership of 166 against India
Since being paired in Pakistan in late 2022, Crawley and Duckett have shared six hundred stands and 12 fifty partnerships, amassing more than 2,500 runs in 54 innings at an average north of 45.
You can see why England would be loath to break this partnership – one a modest Crawley says Duckett leads.
“He is an unbelievable player,” Crawley said of Duckett, who scored 94 against India before being caught behind in the evening session, slashing at a delivery wide of off stump.
“He is a phenomenal thinker about the game and hits it in areas where it is hard to contain him. I just try to stay with him and hit a couple of nice drives. He is the leader of the partnership.”
Crawley on Lord’s needle: I loved that little passage of play
It was Crawley who took centre stage at Lord’s on the third evening of the third Test, however, with his delaying tactics – backing away from Jasprit Bumrah deliveries, calling for the physio – irking India captain Shubman Gill as a potential two overs the England openers had to face across the final seven minutes became just the one.
Gill took particular umbrage at Crawley and Duckett arriving to the crease 90 seconds late, but Crawley said of the incident, during which heated words were exchanged: “I sit in my spot until the umpires go out. I wasn’t aware we were 90 seconds late.
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Speaking ahead of the Old Trafford Test, India captain Shubman Gill explained why he clashed with Crawley at Lord’s
“I’ve always enjoyed that part of cricket, especially when you’re batting where it’s two against 11 and they’re desperate to get you out and chirping you.
“Most of the time I probably let it slide but other times I feel it is a chance to put it back on them. I loved that little passage. No one stepped over the line, it was just competitive cricket.”
Crawley may have wasted time at Lord’s, then, but he showed at Old Trafford why England are not wasting their time with him.
You’ll see him in the Ashes, Australia.
Watch day three of the fourth Test between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am on Friday (11am first ball), or stream without a contract.
England vs India – results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports
