From a Pair to battling 50, Crawley flips the script at Gabba as he settles the nerves en route to a vital half-century to revive England.
Just like going from a 0 to 100 real quick, England opener Zak Crawley went from a pair in the first test to a battling 50 that helped England find footing in Brisbane.
After managing just eight runs between them across four innings in Perth, two of England’s most heavily questioned batters finally found redemption at the Gabba. Joe Root captured most of the attention with a superb first hundred on Australian soil, but Zak Crawley’s return to form after a pair in the opening Test was just as emotionally significant.
Although Crawley was eventually dismissed once he had settled in — edging a pull shot off Michael Neser shortly after the break — his brisk 76 from 93 deliveries played a vital role in England’s reply. It came at a critical moment, too, following another explosive opening spell from Mitchell Starc, who had removed both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope without score in his first two overs with the new ball.
By that stage, Crawley had already opened his series account with a confident cover drive off Starc for four. From there, he pressed on in similar fashion, collecting 11 boundaries in total, most of them coming when Australian bowlers erred in length and fed his preferred scoring areas.
“I did feel good, to be honest,” Crawley told TNT Sports at the close of the first day’s play. “I felt much better than Perth. I was just trying to keep it simple, just trying to score straight on the leg side, and then if it was really full, maybe on the off side. Yeah, I was happy with my knock.”
“I think it’d have felt a long break if I’d have got two hundreds, to be honest,” he said. “It was big old gap after a two-day game. But yeah, it’s a good chance to get some practice in. And I felt comfortable. I felt calm today, and managed to settle the nerves. So I was pleased with how I played.
“I had a clear plan and I stuck to it. There were still a couple of loose shots in there, as I tend to do, but got away with them, and I played nicely down the ground as well. By trying to score on the leg side, that made me leave a bit better outside off with the extra bounce today, and then when I got in, the ball started doing a bit less.”