Zak Crawley

Zack Crawley is an English professional cricketer, who plays as a middle-order batsman for the England Test team. He made his debut for England in 2019 and since then has been a regular feature for the Three Lions. 

A classy right-handed batsman, Crawley rose to prominence after an impressive 2018-19 season with Kent where he amassed 755 runs at an average of 31.46 and was the leading run scorer for his team. 

He first caught the eyes of the English selectors when he scored 168 against Glamorgan on a green top at Canterbury in 2018, which was followed by two back-to-back 90’s against Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire. England needed a back-up Test opener and Crawley with his fluent technique, fitted in that mould perfectly. 

Crawley had a nightmarish debut as he scored just one run on his debut against New Zealand. However, impressed by his character and batting technique, Crawley retained his place for the South African tour. 

After failing to score big in the first two Test matches, he scored his maiden half-century against Proteas in Johannesburg. In the same test, he also put together- with Dom Sibley- England’s first century opening stand since December 2016. 

Crawley signed a three-year contract extension with Kent in 2020 and continued representing them in the domestic competitions.

In the summer of 2020, Crawley scored 76 against West Indies in the first Test at Rose Bowl. However, the knock went in vain as the Windies won that Test match. 

He went on to make his maiden century against Pakistan in that very summer when he scored 267 and had a record breaking stand of 359 runs with Jos Butler for the fifth wicket. 

Crawley’s ton became the second-highest maiden century-score by an English batsman in Test cricket, behind R.E Foster, who scored 287. 

Following the Pakistan series, Crawley was selected for the Sri Lankan tour, where he amassed a mere total of 35 runs at a disappointing average of 8.75.

Despite having a mixed start to his international career, Zack Crawley is a promising young cricketer who should be nurtured by the ECB. With age on his side, Crawley has all the traits of becoming a successful Test batsman.

(As of February 2021)