Zak Crawley looking to rile India up again as he talks about the 8-minute passage before close of play at Lords.
After his 84 set the stage for England’s powerful response in Manchester, Zak Crawley has admitted that he “loved” his part in the time-wasting argument at Lord’s and saw “a good chance” to enrage India by becoming a pantomime villain.
India’s captain, Shubman Gill, urged Crawley to “grow some f***ing balls” when he successfully ran the clock down on the third evening at Lord’s. The two then swore at each other in a furious argument. Crawley dismissed Gill’s accusation that England had violated “the spirit of the game” in an attempt to rekindle friction between the two teams.
“I’ve always enjoyed that part of cricket, to be honest, especially when you’re batting,” he said. “There’s two of you against eleven and they’re desperate to get you out, and they’re chirping you.
“Most of the time, I’d probably let it slide, and then other times, I feel like it’s a good chance to put it back on them. I loved that little eight-minute passage. No-one stepped over the line. I thought everyone was in good spirits. It was just competitive cricket, and I really enjoyed it.”
Asked whether he had intentionally arrived at the crease late, as Gill suggested, Crawley said: “No, no. Not at all. I sit in my spot [in the dressing room] until the umpires go out. I saw the umpires go, and I walked out. I wasn’t aware that we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough.”
Following scores of 19, 0, 18, and 22 in the second and third Tests, Crawley’s 84 on Thursday marked his second half-century of the series. His biggest score against a World Test Championship opponent since his 189 against Australia two years ago, also at Emirates Old Trafford, was 124 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May.
“I have high standards for myself, and I work very hard in my game,” he said. “I always want more for myself, and I’ve certainly wanted more for myself than I’ve got in the last year or so. That’s just an internal thing. I don’t feel that pressure from anyone else.
“I just feel like I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances. Days like today make the practice and the tougher times worth it a bit more. Obviously, I wanted more runs today, but I feel like I’ve worked hard and earned those runs.”