Nasser Hussain says “it was test cricket at its best” as England tailenders denied Australia at SCG; The former England captain believes the team showed real character to secure a draw amid a series of injuries; Jos Buttler will miss the final test, while Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow are doubts
Nasser Hussain says Zak Crawley’s “class act” proved he should have a long career as an England starter after fluent fifty on day five of the tied Ashes Test in Sydney.
Crawley (77 of 100 balls) racked up 13 limits in his fifth half-century of testing. He was the first by an England starter in this Ashes series.
The 23-year-old Kent star averaged 10.81 in eight test matches in 2021, which looks like a shadow of the player who scored 267 against Pakistan at Southampton in August 2020.
But Crawley said before Test 4 at SCG that he “knew very well” that he could score a hundred and fell short by just 23 runs during a commanding stroke.
Sky Sports Cricket andxpert and former England captain Hussain said: “I think Crawley was the highlight of the test match for me.
“Seeing him play with such fluency and simple technique, brushing off the bad ball and putting the pressure on Australian bowlers again.” [was fantastic]. It is something that has not been there at the top of the order.
“Dom Sibley, Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed look to defend and sometimes lose the balls they can score, so England is getting nowhere.
“It looks like Crawley is in a position to attack first and I think that puts you in a better technical and mental position to get the bad ball out.
“Crawley’s technique was solid and his timing from the bat was exquisite. He placed himself in very good positions. I also enjoyed his pregame talk and he backed her up by walking.
“For the England fans who have stayed up night after night watching us go 20-3, it would have been a huge bonus to see Crawley’s innings.
“Crawley had a horrible 2021, but he reminded everyone of what kind he can be and that he’s someone worth sticking with in the future. Zak now has to hit like this pretty much every time he hits.
“He’ll know his earnings last year weren’t good enough. The 267 he made at The Ageas Bowl a couple of years ago were phenomenal.
“Even his previous fifty years at Test Cricket [against India in Ahmedabad last February] impressed some very good observers. Those were some ‘wow’ entries.
“And, in Sydney, people like [former Australia batters] Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor have been saying ‘wow, where has this boy been?’
“He just has to make sure he goes back to Hobart in Test 5, gets another score and keeps moving forward. From the way he’s played at SCG, he has to get a run on the flank.”
Hussain’s expert colleague and former England captain Michael Atherton said at the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: “Crawley has a presence in the fold.
“He’s obviously a tall, physically imposing guy, but if the bowlers are wrong, he also has some ammo in his locker and can push again.
“I thought he drove the ball really well and when the bowlers fell back he shot well too.
“I think there are areas where he can toughen up – you see a lot on his right side and that sometimes means the bat is crossing the ball.
“But if I were a bowler, I would be more concerned about bowling for Crawley than for Hameed, as I know if I’m wrong I’ll be punished.”
The half centuries of Crawley and Ben Stokes (60), a gritty 41 of the centurion of the first entry Jonny Bairstow (41), and then the resistance of the tailenders Jack Leach (26), Stuart Broad (8th) and James Anderson (0th ) saw England avoid defeat and end Australia’s hopes of sweeping the series.
Hussain said that the gripping finale in Sydney was “Test of cricket at its best” and that England should take a lot of heart for the result after seeing several injured players and head coach Chris Silverwood miss the match due to Covid isolation. .
He said Sports news from heaven: “It’s not just about celebrating a draw, it’s about celebrating cricket tryouts. Five days of grueling grind and hard work. You had two veterans at Anderson and Broad with over 300 trials between them trying to keep a spinner away from half time at Steve Smith. It was Test cricket in its prime
