Nineteen months into his first Test century, and following a terrifying 2021, Zak Crawley is back in triple figures for England; the starter hits with discipline and class during his 117 not in Antigua; Crawley hopes England can force victory on day five of the first Test against the West Indies.
The England Test team is in a state of transition.
The Ashes debacle has resulted in looting and droppings. We do not know who will fill the full-time head coach and director of cricket positions. We don’t know if James Anderson and Stuart Broad will return. We don’t know if Joe Root will be the long-term captain.
But there are some permanent fixtures in the XI (Root, Ben Stokes and, fitness permitting, Mark Wood) and he can add Zak Crawley to those now after his maturity against the West Indies in Antigua. In this red ball reboot, he seems poised for a major role.
2020 was Crawley’s breakthrough year as he scored 267 against Pakistan in The Ageas Bowl, 10th-best by an Englishman in Tests. However, 2021 was extremely unpleasant for him, as he averaged a measly 10.81 with 11 single-figure scores out of 16. At one point, he was dropped on the side.
“When I got kicked off the team [England] He said he had a great future. He was grateful for that and it gave me a lot of confidence. I always thought he’d get back in, but maybe not so soon,” Crawley said.
So far, 2022 has been much more enjoyable for the Kent batsman. True, he started with a duck against Australia in Sydney, but that was followed by an authoritative 77 in the second inning of the same match and now an unbeaten 117 from 200 balls against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Nineteen months after his first test ton, he now has a second.
“It means a lot to score a hundred. It’s been a while since my last one and there were times last year where I thought I wouldn’t get another one. I feel like I’ve made some decent progress, but I still feel like I can improve.”
Crawley always looks good. Tall, imposing, all the shots and the ability to keep the scoreboard moving at a good pace.
That last trait is something that Dom Sibley, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed, the other England starters tested in recent times, have struggled to achieve. They can be difficult to see. Crawley is rarely anything but a joy.
You only have to look back at their double tonne against Pakistan to see the kind of talent England are working with. Kevin Pietersen-esque were some of the shots he played and the dominance he showed.
His form fell off a cliff after that, but now he has rediscovered his touch and shown that he can adapt and improve.
In the opening innings against the West Indies, Crawley was caught from behind after a line drive played with a crooked bat, but he played much straighter, much more judiciously, the second time around.
“I like to put pressure on the bowler, but I tried to control my game a little more and keep things simple,” added the 24-year-old, who shared an unbroken position on the second wicket of 193 with skipper Joe Root (84th No. ) to increase England’s lead to 153 and give his team a slim chance of victory on day five.
“I tried to hit some shots that I was playing last year that got me into trouble. Root was telling me to make good decisions and luckily I did more than I normally do.”
Crawley allied himself with the metered game off the stump with a plethora of fours, punishing the West Indies whenever they bowled too far or messed up.
There was also the odd classy offside limit as it looked as fluid as anyone on a slow surface.
Former England hitting coach Mark Ramprakash said of Crawley in Sport: “He played straight and late, under his eyes. He was much more accurate, which is what international hitting is all about.
“There has been unquestionable improvement. He was tested with the new ball off the stump. In the past, he hasn’t been firm enough defending or driving, but here he showed much better judgment on what to leave.”
“He went well for a good length and when the bowlers bowled too much he took a good step, put his weight on the ball and handled it very well.
“We saw the best of him. He puts the bowler under tremendous pressure and, whether it’s with his front foot or his back foot, he can drive the ball away for bounds. He makes hitting look very easy at times.”
Forcing victory on the final day in Antigua will not be easy for England, but Crawley says the team will give it their best shot.
“I think we have a good chance. We’re certainly going to try and win it.”
“The field hasn’t broken up as much as we initially thought, but we expect it to break up a bit.” [on Saturday] and give us a good chance of eliminating them.
