England captain Ben Stokes has issued a staunch defence of under-pressure opener Zak Crawley, insisting 'a big score is around the corner' for the 24-year-old and his opening partner Alex Lees.
Crawley's place in the side has come into question after a poor run of form with the bat so far this summer. In five Tests for England, Crawley has scored just 164 runs at an average of 16.40 and he is only averaging 24.25 for Kent in the County Championship.
Former England openers Sir Alastair Cook and Mark Butcher both called for Crawley to be dropped for the second Test against South Africa, with Butcher going as far as to say it was "cruel" to keep picking him while he is struggling for form.
