Former England captain Michael Vaughan has called Zak Crawley the “greatest ever player to average 31 in Test cricket”.

India might have won the five-match series against England with one Test to go, but with 328 runs at 41 at a strike rate of 70, Zak Crawley has impressed on the tour, using his long reach to thwart the spin.

Crawley has reached double figures in each of his eight innings so far. He made 76 and 73 at Visakhapatnam, and 42 and 60 at Ranchi. At Visakhapatnam, England were 113-1 in the first innings and 194-4 in the second, but Crawley got out, and they were bowled out for 255 and 292. In the second innings at Ranchi, they were 110-3 when Crawley fell, and they collapsed to 145 all out.

Despite these outings, Crawley’s Test average used to be 26.30 after 27 Tests, and now stands at 32.46 after 43 matches. A lack of big scores – he has made only four hundreds (including only one since the summer of 2022) – has led to that.

“Zak Crawley just continues to grow, I think, doesn’t he?” said Adam Gilchrist on the Gilly and Vaughany podcast. “He didn’t, sort of, play match-winning innings, but geez, he lays a foundation every time.”

“He’s the greatest ever player to average 31 [32.46] in Test cricket,” responded Vaughan. “I’ve not seen a better player that is averaging 31 in Test matches. He makes batting look so easy. You watch him, and he strolls to the crease, and before you know, he’s 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, raises his bat, plays great hits down the bat, and he whips one through mid-wicket.

“Oh, here we go [we say], keep going. [And then] Oh, he’s out! Oh, he’s gone! Happens every time! … He’s got to find a different way. He’s got to kick on. He’s got to somehow find a way of kicking on.

“These little, nice, fancy fifties, you know, Gilly, you don’t win Test matches in India with a little fifty. You gotta get the big one. You gotta get the daddy hundreds. He’s gotta find a way of getting a daddy hundred or two.”

‘He’s the greatest ever player to average 31 in Test cricket 🏏’

Gilly and Vaughany are both very impressed 🤩 with Zak Crawley, will he get some runs in the 5th Test in India 🇮🇳?#ClubPrairieFire pic.twitter.com/jwPFY4643X

— Club Prairie Fire (@clubprairiefire) March 5, 2024

The fifth Test match between India and England begins at Dharamshala from March 7.

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