Zak Crawley Ends Silence After Shubman Gill's '90 Seconds Late' Claim: 'Saw The Umpires...'

News18

25-07-2025

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Zak Crawley has responded to India captain Shubman Gill's claim that England openers wasted 90 seconds before arriving to bat at Lord's.
One of the highlights of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has been the fierce exchange between India captain Shubman Gill and England opener Zak Crawley during the closing minutes of the third day's play of the Lord's Test. An angry Gill asked Crawley to 'Grow some f***** b***s!" for time-wasting as he called for the team physio after being hit on the gloves while facing Jasprit Bumrah.
Gill later clarified his frustration wasn't because Crawley summoned the physio as India were trying to squeeze in a couple of overs to try and get an early wicket. The 25-year-old claimed that England openers came out to bat 90 seconds late which he felt wasn't in the spirit of the game.
Crawley claims to have been unaware of that.
'No, no. Not at all. I sit in my spot (in the dressing room) until the umpires go out. I saw the umpires go, and I walked out. I wasn't aware that we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough," he said after the end of play on Day 2 of the 4th Test in Manchester.
Crawley though admits he enjoyed the tense exchange with the Indian players.
'I've always enjoyed that part of cricket, to be honest, especially when you're batting. There's two of you against eleven and they're desperate to get you out, and they're chirping you," he said.
'Most of the time, I'd probably let it slide, and then other times, I feel like it's a good chance to put it back on them. I loved that little eight-minute passage. No-one stepped over the line. I thought everyone was in good spirits. It was just competitive cricket, and I really enjoyed it," he added.
Crawley Dazzles In Manchester
After India made 358-all out in their first innings at Old Trafford, Crawley, under pressure after a series of low scores spread across the second and third Tests, produced a vastly improved performance in England's strong response.
Crawley made 84 off 113, an innings comprising 13 fours and a six as together with Ben Duckett, he stitched a century stand worth 166 runs.
'I have high standards for myself, and I work very hard in my game. I always want more for 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," Crawley told reporters.
'I just feel like I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances. Days like today make the practice and the tougher times worth it a bit more. Obviously, I wanted more runs today, but I feel like I've worked hard and earned those runs," he added.
Crawley also praised Duckett who missed out on a century by six runs.
'He's a phenomenal player and he takes a lot of pressure off me. He scores at a run-a-ball effortlessly, and it allows you to go about your business. We talk a lot in the middle about how we want to go about it, and obviously our height difference – and being left-right-hand – probably makes it quite hard for the bowlers at times, when we're both going well at either end," Crawley said.
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