England's Zak Crawley earns unexpected reprieve before defining summer

Zak Crawley looked close to his best against Pakistan in the 1st ODI
Zak Crawley looked close to his best against Pakistan in the 1st ODI

A few days ago, England were thrown into turmoil when news emerged that COVID-19 had permeated their bio-bubble – a bubble that had been dubbed secure even as the country continued battling increasing cases. Immediately, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided that the entire contingent that had participated in the white-ball series against Sri Lanka was to undergo isolation.

Prima facie, the aforementioned was met with skepticism, for several former cricketers opined that England had erred on the side of caution. From a cricketing perspective, though, it opened up a plethora of opportunities for players who might never have envisioned themselves playing white-ball cricket for England this summer.

As the dust settled and the “new” English contingent acclimatized to their novel surroundings, there was palpable optimism. Not just because the Three Lions, who have recently been panned for their conservatism (in terms of selection), would be fielding 11 changes from their previous ODI, but also because the stage was now set for exciting cricketers to stake their claims – cricketers who wouldn’t even have been part of such conversations otherwise.

Thus, when England thumped Pakistan by 9 wickets in the 1st game, plenty felt vindicated at their clamours for a shuffling of the English white-ball pack. The likes of Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood thoroughly impressed and lent weight to the argument too.

Yet, none perhaps grabbed their opportunity quite like Zak Crawley, who lest one forgets was featuring in his debut ODI as well. If that wasn’t enough, he was teleported directly into England’s setup from Kent’s County fixture against Lancashire, where he was on a pair, having seen his red-ball frailties exposed by James Anderson. And, for the uninitiated, his spot in the Test side is also under a humongous cloud.

On finer introspection, though, the decision to pluck Crawley from relative obscurity and thrust him into the deep end of England’s all-conquering ODI outfit was perhaps quite wise. So much so that it could also end up defining the youngster’s English summer.

Over the past couple of years, not many Englishmen have generated as much hype as Crawley. For those aware of his abilities, that hasn’t come as a surprise, for he has, even though intermittently, given stunning portrayals of his talent for England.

However, his Test numbers paint a rather dreary picture, considering he has, as things stand, only five fifty-plus scores (in 24 innings) in the format. Rather amazingly, one of those was a double hundred against Pakistan.

Crawley has been in pretty poor Test form in 2021
Crawley has been in pretty poor Test form in 2021

One among the rest was scored against India, where on an Ahmedabad track that was deemed unplayable, he looked a class above the rest. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that he was arguably the best batter on display, until he was dismissed. That, though, apart from being a glowing assessment of his abilites, is also a rather damning assessment of the ailments the England starlet needs to cure to truly unlock his potential.

Throughout his Test career, Crawley has always looked a batter capable of donning the England whites. Yet, he has often found ways to be dismissed, just as he seems to be settling down. On other occasions, he has simply been loose at the start of his essay, meaning that consistency hasn’t been his greatest friend.

To place things into context, since that sensational double hundred against Pakistan, he has batted 12 times in Test cricket. Alarmingly, he has reached double figures only thrice. On a majority of those instances, he has been caught in the slip cordon (6 out of 12), suggesting that he has a tendency to waft at deliveries he ought to have left.

Crawley has a tendency to play loosely at the start of his innings
Crawley has a tendency to play loosely at the start of his innings

However, if the England youngster’s batting traits are looked at, he is an extremely free-flowing batter and one who looks to capitalize on even the slightest bit of scoring opportunity. Unfortunately, with the low scores piling up, he hasn’t had the sort of confidence to go through with those strokes. In fact, he has very seldom seemed decisive since the start of 2021.

Furthermore, Crawley seems to embody a “confidence player” – someone who needs the backing of his team and of course, runs to play to the best of his ability. And, that is where his ODI exploits could come into the picture.

A month ago, or even a week ago, Crawley would never have felt that he would’ve had the opportunity to represent England’s irrepressible ODI side. Now, though, he is doing so and if the knock against Pakistan in the 1st ODI is to be treated as a marker, he also showcased that he might be cherishing the extra freedom.

At Cardiff, Crawley imposed himself almost immediately on a strong Pakistan bowling unit. Though he endured a couple of nervy leaves at the start, especially as Shaheen Shah Afridi curved the ball into him, those were fleeting. Once he tided over that period, he showcased his full repertoire of strokes, with a drive on the up in the 6th over against Hasan Ali particularly standing out.

Post that, he barely broke a sweat as he caressed and creamed his way to his debut ODI fifty. More importantly, though, the confidence that had reigned supreme at the Ageas Bowl during his astonishing double ton, seemed to be seeping into his veins.

Even in that game, Crawley endured a slightly tough start, with Rory Burns being dismissed early. Yet, at that juncture, he had the confidence to play his strokes and waltz to a double ton.

To that end, the white-ball games could actually help the England youngster, for it would allow him to remain fearless and add the conviction that has been lacking from his stroke-play. The lesser movement in ODI cricket might also enable the England starlet to trust his stroke-making prowess a lot more.

Most tellingly though, this stint for England could enable him to back himself to score even when the chips are down, for the run-scoring mechanism would never have gone out of vogue. And, this new-found confidence could prompt him to be a little less impetuous and patiently keep reminding himself that he has what it takes to succeed.

England are still unsure about their top three in Tests

Furthermore, as ludicrous as it sounds, the fate of England’s top three for the series against India could well be decided by how players such as Crawley and Malan fare in white-ball cricket. Not just because both would be tested in an international climate, but also because these matches are the only international games England play during the period.

Thus, with the five-Test rubber against India looming, England might just have pulled a rabbit out of the hat by including Crawley in their ODI setup. That neither the England youngster nor the support staff would’ve envisaged such a happening is, to an extent, even poetic.

Nevertheless, the ODI series against Pakistan could be the event that casts Crawley as a potential England batting mainstay.

Can Crawley (R) build on his impressive ODI debut?
Can Crawley (R) build on his impressive ODI debut?

Having said that, there is a major caveat attached too, for England have endured plenty of false dawns (with respect to Crawley lately). Yet, one just feels that the frenetic nature of ODI cricket and the carefree attitude associated with it could help Crawley turn a corner in his England career.

On that front, it is perhaps up to the England youngster to prove that he is indeed full value for the hype he has generated.

For now, though, Crawley would be chuffed that he has earned an unexpected international reprieve. That it has come just before a defining summer for one of England’s finest talents, could be the beacon of inspiration he has been yearning for, all along.

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Edited by Prasen Moudgal