Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has called for Zak Crawley to be dropped with the opener in the midst of a terrible run of form.
Crawley has scored just 164 runs at an average of 16.40 in five Tests for England this summer and is also averaging just 24.25 for Kent in the County Championship. And Cook, who scored 12,472 runs and 33 hundreds at the top of the order for England in Test cricket, believes the 24-year-old needs "to be given a break from the team" for his own good.
In his latest column for the Times, Cook wrote: "In my view it is time for Zak Crawley to be given a break from the team. He has had a lot of backing, and we have all seen the potential in his game that excites so many people.
"He has got some world-class areas — if people bowl slightly short he will punish them, and he possesses a great drive — but I don't think he quite knows how he wants to play. What is telling too is that his first-class record is not blessed with big hundreds either, which suggests that he needs to re-evaluate which shots he wants to stick to, and how he's going to consistently score runs.
"It's horrible when you're out of form. It affects everything. You start searching for the magic answer, and there isn't one." Cook also believes Harry Brook "deserves a shot" as Crawley's replacement, although he has been at his best batting in the middle order for Yorkshire.
He added: "If someone else is to move in, I'd go for Harry Brook. He has been scoring his runs at No 5 but he is in great form and has opened the batting in the past.
"It's not ideal, but he's a man of serious talent and potential, and deserves a shot, not only because of the runs he's scored but the aggressive manner in which he's made them. I think he could do it."
Despite Crawley's recent struggles, England coach Brendon McCullum has said they will continue to back him. "He's a talent, and there are not too many of those guys floating around," McCullum said.
"He's still learning his game at this level. That will take some patience and persistence. I believe in him, that's for sure. You have to think about the overall package. We have some players that have been put in those positions because they have certain skillsets.
"I look at a guy like Zak and his skillset is not to be a consistent cricketer. He's not that type of player. He's put in that situation because he has a game which, when he gets going, he can win matches for England."
