With Zak Crawley, the ball is always Baz. His initial selection, with a first-class average of 31, was a classic of the genre – though it came under Ed Smith’s light blue-shirted tenure as England national selector. His maiden Test century – 267 against Pakistan in his eighth Test – was full of carefree, glorious strokeplay as well as a heady handful of risk. His subsequent England career, full of more ups and downs than a dally across the Wainwrights, has riled spectators in equal measure to thrilling them.
His innings in Visakhapatnam could not have been designed better to split England fans reviewing the situation over breakfast on a grey February morning. No one could deny his 76 at just over a run a ball was terrific. He unfolded those long legs and long arms to maximum effect – subduing Ravichandran Ashwin, and brunching off early Jasprit Bumrah.
On 17, he was dropped off Ashwin at short midwicket by Shubman Gill – whose catching was otherwise gorgeous – and the next over went on the attack to Bumrah, filleting him for four fours with soft hands and pitch-perfect timing.
On he strode, reached 50 with a slog-swept six off Kuldeep Yadav, a pick-up from way outside off-stump, relishing the smaller boundaries of the ACA-VDCA. There was time for another couple of courtly dismissals of Ashwin, a cover drive wide of mid-off and a glorious back-foot punch through point, before drinks arrived. England were sailing along at five an over and an irate-looking Rohit Sharma beckoned Axar Patel for his first spell of the day.
Crawley danced out to his second delivery and slapped it over midwicket against the spin. He tried to repeat the shot next ball, got an unlovely leading edge and was caught by Shreyas Iyer sprinting backwards from point and collecting on the dive. It was a slapdash end to a Toffypop innings and England rather unravelled from that point. A solid looking 114 for one rapidly turned into 159 for five as Bumrah started reverse-swinging, becoming practically unplayable.
Asked whether he regretted his dismissal or it was just the way he played, Crawley was firm. “Definitely the second one. If I start doubting myself in those situations and not backing my instincts, then I revert back to the player I was a couple of years ago, not scoring many runs for my team.
“I’m happy that I’m much more aggressive now and that’s helped with consistency. I wasn’t happy to get out when I did but I’d definitely do the same thing. If that one doesn’t turn and I hit him over his head for six then suddenly he’s under a lot of pressure and I can milk him for two hours or whatever. There’s risk and reward there.
“I’ve done it before and it came off, but it didn’t come off today. I was disappointed with myself, especially when the wickets fell after. But I’ll keep telling myself to back my aggressive game because that’s what got me here.”
Crawley’s 2021 Indian tour was not a roaring success. He missed the first two Tests after walking out of the dressing room at Chennai in his spikes and slipping on a marble floor. England hurriedly put down some towels, but it was too late for Crawley who had sprained his wrist. He returned for the third and fourth Tests in Ahmedabad, made one 50 but was otherwise reduced to single-figure scores.
“I have never experienced anything like playing in India,” he later said. “Ten over there felt like a good score at the time.”
The slip in spikes was the day before his 23rd birthday. Saturday was his 26th birthday and though his overall numbers wouldn’t wow a passing statto, his form since he punched Pat Cummins through the covers off the first ball of the Ashes series has been a delight.
Did Crawley open the door for the England collapse? At a base level, yes, but to blame him would be to take away from one of the sublime spells of fast bowling from Bumrah, whose intelligent, clinical finishing included one of the great dismissals. His yorker to Ollie Pope left the batter jack-knifed as the stumps and bails exploded either side of his turned-up posterior. And there was nothing anyone, including Crawley, could have done about that.
