Zak Crawley has learned nothing in 57 Tests: Boycott wants England to drop opener
"How many more chances is Crawley going to get? He has learned nothing in his 57 Tests. A waft in the first innings caught behind and a front-foot drive in the second innings to a wide sucker ball caught at gully. It was just a replay of too many of his dismissals. Time to go."Boycott's remarks reflect the growing frustration surrounding Crawley's place in the team. With a batting average of just 31 and only five centuries to his name, the former England opener believes these statistics do not justify Crawley's continued selection. The pressure is mounting, and Boycott insists that England cannot afford to carry a player who isn't delivering consistently.The timing of Boycott's comments is particularly significant, as England prepares for the highly anticipated Ashes series against Australia later this year. He warned that the Australian fast bowlers would be relishing the prospect of bowling to Crawley, highlighting the danger posed by the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins."Most opposition bowlers can't wait to get their sweaters off to bowl at him. Can you imagine what the Australian seamers are thinking about this winter's Ashes series? If Starc doesn't get you, Hazlewood and Cummins will."Crawley previously faced the Australian attack during the 2021-22 Ashes series, where his only notable contribution was a half-century in Sydney. England will need more than sporadic performances if they are to compete against a ruthless Australian side.Boycott also turned his attention to another young England batter, Ollie Pope. While Pope has shown more promise than Crawley, Boycott suggested the Surrey batter may be too committed to the aggressive 'Bazball' philosophy, which encourages risk-taking at the crease. He believes Pope needs to be more situationally aware and avoid reckless shot-making."Ollie needs to go back to basic batting. He needs to assess the situation and bat accordingly - not slavishly to an ideology or how he thinks the captain and coach want him to play," Boycott wrote.advertisementAs England looks ahead to the fourth Test against India, starting July 23 in Manchester, they will be hoping to bounce back from their recent struggles. With the series currently poised at 2-1 in England's favour, both Crawley and Pope will be under intense scrutiny as they aim to cement their spots ahead of the Ashes.As Boycott aptly puts it, England needs more from its top-order if they are to challenge Australia in what promises to be a fiercely contested series later this year. Time is running out for the likes of Crawley to turn things around.- EndsYou May Also Like
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Oval Test: The Bumrah decision, the Kuldeep no-brainer and the Arshdeep call
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STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After a miracle draw in Manchester – one that saw four Indian batters play out of their skins – the visitors are still in with a chance to draw the series (which will be a repeat of the scoreline of their last tour to England in 2020-21 when the 5-Test series ended 2-2). Don't expect any changes in the batting department, barring the forced change of Dhruv Jurel coming in for the injured Rishabh Pant. The bowling department, however, is another story altogether. Head coach Gautam Gambhir had confirmed that all fast bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, are fit ahead of the fifth and final Test at the Oval, which begins on Thursday (July 31). Reports coming in from England on the eve of the final Test, though, indicate that Bumrah has been advised by the BCCI medical team to stick to the pre-decided formula of playing just three Tests and no more for the sake of his own physical well-being. Though the series is on the line and Team India would have desperately wanted their premier strike bowler to be part of the playing XI at the Oval, with captain Shubman Gill telling British Sports radio programme – 'Test Match Special' earlier – 'If he (Bumrah) feels like he's fully fit and available for us, I think it would be a great deal for us,' the call not to risk an Australia-like breakdown is a smart one. Former cricketers in the past have opined how a similar back injury or flare-up might signal the end of his career. Resting Bumrah, a decision well-planned Also, in many ways, if the decision was to play Bumrah, that could well have set the tone for future away series. Though the number one priority as far as Bumrah is concerned is to make triple sure that he doesn't suffer a breakdown like he did in earlier this year, which subsequently saw him miss the ICC Champions Trophy, if the management and one of the world's current best strike bowlers took the joint-call of going ahead and playing that might have also set a very dangerous precedent. What happens next time Team India are behind the 8-ball in an away Test series and Bumrah has already played the stipulated three Tests? Once there is a precedent, it becomes very difficult to manage fan and overall public expectations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD One thing that most experts noted at the Old Trafford Test was how Bumrah's pace was significantly down. He sent down a total of 198 deliveries (33 overs) in the fourth Test and, according to some reports, less than 1% one of them touched the 140kmph mark. He did have trouble with the landing spot at his end, but with a very quick turnaround between the Manchester and Oval Tests, for him to play his third straight Test of the series would have been a massive risk. Bumrah has so far played two Tests at the Oval and taken a total of seven wickets with best innings figures of 3/83. Jasprit Bumrah was far from his best in the fourth Test at Manchester. Image: Reuters One fast bowler who could well be back in the playing XI is the hero of Edgbaston - Akash Deep – and that could be an almost like-for-like swap for Bumrah. But Anshul Kamboj is also likely to be dropped. So, who comes in to replace him? It could then be a toss-up between Prasidh Krishna and the now fully-recovered Arshdeep Singh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Prasidh has already played two Tests in the series, but wasn't really impressive, with best innings figures of 3/128 and an average of 55.16. 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STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Technically, Mohammed Siraj, who always bowls his heart out, deserves a workload break too, but with the series on the line, that is very, very unlikely. But hold on. Surely Kuldeep Yadav will get a look-in at the Oval? So, how does the team management fit in Kuldeep? There is no way that either Ravindra Jadeja – a first-choice pick in the XI or Washington Sundar, who dug in deep to help save the Manchester Test with a gritty 101* will be shown the door, especially when there is talk of the Oval pitch assisting spinners, even though recent Test match pitches there haven't been too spin-friendly. In the last Test that was played at this venue, in September 2024, between England and Sri Lanka, spinners from both teams took only 3 wickets combined in the match. The Lankans didn't even bowl a spinner in the England second innings and got the home team all out for 156, before wrapping up an 8-wicket win. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel went on record in Manchester to say – 'Kuldeep, we are trying to find a way for him, but it is just (that we need) more consistent runs from our top six, so that we can bring a guy like Kuldeep in.' Ignoring Kuldeep is becoming impossible Well, the India top 6 made 425 runs combined in their second innings at Old Trafford with three century-plus scores and a 90 and with two batters falling for ducks. So, if the team is now feeling more comfortable about not having an all-rounder at number 8, Kuldeep can be drafted in in place of Shardul. That would mean India bat till number 7 (Sundar), followed by Kuldeep, Akash Deep, Prasidh/Arshdeep and Siraj (in no particular order). That would give India three spin and three pace options in the bowling department. In that case, Kuldeep could just be brought in in place of Kamboj. 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44 minutes ago
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Hindustan Times
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