"May everyone be as lucky as Zak Crawley is" - Twitter in disbelief as England opener once again retains his place in the playing XI 

Zak Crawley is on thin ice at the moment.

England opening batter Zak Crawley's rough patch has grown into a regular problem for the side now. The management has backed the 24-year-old but these opportunities are yet to pay any dividends as his woeful form continues.

Several fans expressed their surprise when he found a place in the England squad for the Test series against New Zealand. The Kent-born batter had a forgettable series of outings across the three Tests. He managed just 87 runs along with four single-digit scores.

The right-handed batter, though, went on to score a crucial 46 in the mammoth run chase against India in the rescheduled fifth Test.

Retaining his place in the playing XI for the opening Test against South Africa, Crawley was undone by the Proteas' pace attack, recording nine and 13 in the first and second innings, respectively.

With his average plummeting following each failure at the crease, Crawley is running short of time to repay the trust the management have shown in him. Fans have failed to understand the logic behind the youngster's persistent selection over the last couple of months as well.

Here are some of the reactions to Crawley being named in the playing XI for the second Test against South Africa:

Zak Crawley has not scored a Test fifty for 14 consecutive innings

The opening batter last crossed the 50-run mark in Test cricket during the first Test against West Indies in March of 2022. Since then, Crawley has only been able to register double figures on five occasions.

With several county prospects lined up and even some of the old names like Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns in contention, the 24-year-old needs a change in fortunes if he wants to continue opening for England.

The upcoming second Test against South Africa will mark Crawley's second outing at Old Trafford. In his maiden outing at the historic ground, two years ago, he was dismissed for a first-ball duck against the West Indies before mustering 11 runs in the second innings.

England playing XI for second Test against South Africa

Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad and James Anderson.

Will Zak Crawley make an impact in the second Test against the Proteas? Let us know what you think.