England vs West Indies: Zak Crawley ready for any role in batting line-up as home Test debut nears

Three years on from his first-class debut against West Indies for Kent, Zak Crawley is preparing for a home Test debut against the same opposition. At least that’s the hope anyway.

In a world with no certainties, cricket’s own unpredictability has escalated over the last few months. But with a beginning on the horizon – 8 July, the start of a three-match Test series against West Indies – some welcome focus has returned to the minds of England’s cricketers as they checked into the Ageas Bowl on Tuesday for the next few weeks. They will then shift their biosecure bubble to Old Trafford for the final two Tests.

Crawley, however, is taking nothing for granted. His winter, which included both his first Test and a maiden half-century in his fourth, saw him benefit from an accident in which Rory Burns injured his ankle on the eve of 2020’s first Test in Cape Town. Crawley enjoyed a straight run to the end of the series to pick up 163 runs at an average of 32.

While the 22-year-old may have one of the opening spots alongside Dom Sibley, he sees that more as a technicality rather than a guarantee against Burns who has 15 caps under his belt, along with 979 runs, two centuries and an average of 33.

“Rory has done very well in the games he’s played and got good runs in the Ashes series, a very tough series,” said Crawley. “He’s proven himself to be successful at Test level. Perhaps I haven’t quite completely proven myself yet, but hopefully with a couple of scores I can get to that point. That said, the side had a bit of success when I played. It’s a difficult question. I haven’t got an answer for you, unfortunately.”

He’s right, on both fronts. Firstly to not have an answer to the question – that will be for captain, coach and selectors to answer – and also on success. England have not lost with him in the side – a small sample size of four matches, granted. But along with improving scores, all the more noticeable in a sequence of personal bests with each score from 1, 4, 25, 44, 66 before a final innings of 22 – “it helps getting a couple of low scores at the start,” he jokes – he developed stickability on the job to balance out his shot-making. His last three opening stands with Sibley were 70, 107 and 56.

Thus, Burns’s expected return does not mean Crawley shifts to the bench. That 2017 first class debut against a West Indies attack of Miguel Cummins, Alzarri Joseph and Raymon Reiffer (the latter two on this current tour) saw him score 62 at number three. It is a role he is more than familiar with, perhaps more so than he is with the spots at one or two he has occupied in the last couple of years.

“I’ve batted three pretty much my whole life: in age group and when I first started out in the county set-up. That always seemed like the place where I would bat. But in the last two or three years I’ve been an opener. Anywhere in the top three doesn’t phase me because I’ve done plenty of both (roles).”

That will put him in competition with Kent teammate Joe Denly, who we can certainly say is the man in possession having spent half of his 26 Test innings here, including the last 10. It was Denly who presented Crawley with his maiden cap in New Zealand last November, and Denly who took Crawley under his wing at Kent and then, later, helped him feel at ease in the England set-up.

A final call on the two may be down to potential rather than performance so far. Denly averages exactly 30 from his 14 Tests, and coupled with his age of 34, Crawley’s 12 years on him and greater scope for improvement will be two ticks for the latter. Not that it makes the situation any less uncomfortable for Crawley.

“It is probably slightly odd if I’m honest. I get on really well with Joe and I wish him every success and ideally we’d both play and then play together for a long while. That said, he’s desperate to play for England, as too am I, and we’ll still be good friends whatever happens. We’re both desperate to play for sure.”

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Meanwhile, Crawley lent his voice to those calling on the government to give recreational cricket the green light after prime minister Boris Johnson said it was too soon to lift restrictions on the game.

That, along with his description of the ball as “a natural vector of disease” surprised everyone including the ECB who were led to believe the club game would be included in part of the activities permitted from 4 July, such as the reopening of pubs and restaurants.

While this has no bearing on international or professional cricket, it has drawn derision from a number of high profile figures within the English game. The ECB are hopeful of a U-turn in the coming days.

“We’re well aware of it,” said Crawley on the discontent at grassroots level. “We have friends who want to play. I feel like it’s time to bring it back. You can social distance easily in cricket, you can’t put saliva on the ball at international level and you could easily do that at community level, so I’d like to see that decision reserved and get community cricket back on.”