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.
However, England have kept faith in Crawley and fellow opener Lees, who has fared slightly better with 271 runs at 27.10 so far this summer. And when asked at the toss if he had considered dropping Crawley, Stokes defended both batters, replying: "No, absolutely not.
"The two guys I know want to be contributing more towards the team, but I look at the two lads that we have at the top and they're all about the team and taking the individual aspect away of what cricket can do.
"The wider picture of this whole team that we're really growing towards is that the team ethos is bigger than any individual goal. So I'm really happy with the way they're still going out there and trying to impose themselves on the game and I know a big score for both is around the corner for both of them because they're both quality players."
Stokes' comments come after coach Brendon McCullum said Crawley's "skillset is not to be a consistent cricketer". McCullum said: "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."
