Nasser Hussain, a former captain of England, talked about Zak Crawley’s problems. He said that captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum face a huge challenge in getting Crawley’s career back on track. Hussain is very worried about the young opener’s pattern of getting out.
On Day 2 of the fifth Test against India at Edgbaston, Crawley was out for 9 off 17 balls. This was the ninth time in his last 11 innings that he had scored less than 10 runs. The right-handed batter didn’t move his feet when Jasprit Bumrah threw a ball outside the off-stump, so it was easy for slips to catch.
Hussain told Sky Sports that Stokes and McCullum back the young player, but he questioned how far the attacking strategy could go. The 54-year-old player admitted that the way he is getting out is upsetting because bowlers will find a way to get rid of him.
What did Nasser Hussain say about Zak Crawley?
He said:Â “It is a real test for this new era, as well as for McCullum and Stokes since they have backed Crawley and this is how they want to play cricket.”
He added:Â “It must become a problem at some point that people are being out over and over again. If you drive carelessly and ignore the moving ball, you will get into trouble. You might get the occasional pretty, crisp four through the offside, but Bumrah or [Tim] Southee are good enough bowlers that they will eventually trust themselves to find the edge.”
The 24-year-old also had trouble getting runs in the last series England played against New Zealand, while most of the other batters did well. In three Tests, he only scored 87 runs, with a high score of 43.
At the end of day two, the hosts were down to 84-5 and were 332 runs behind India. England’s captain, Ben Stokes, needs to make a huge difference, especially since Joe Root has left.
