Mark Butcher has questioned England’s backing of Zak Crawley after the opener’s dual failure in the first Test against South Africa.
Crawley made scores of nine and 13 as England were beaten by an innings at Lord’s. The performance marked a continuation of a poor run of form: Crawley averages 16.40 for England this summer, the lowest by any England opener in a home season, with a cut-off of 10 innings. He averages 26.06 from 26 Test matches, a figure that drops to 18.61 in 18 Tests since the start of 2021.
Crawley has received England’s continued support, with head coach Brendon McCullum “sure his time will come”.
“He is obviously hurting at the moment, but he’s a quality player and I’m sure his time will come,” McCullum said after England’s defeat. “I think there is this expectation on Zak to be this consistent batsman at the top of the order. And there’s been a fair few people who have batted at the top of the order in England who will tell you it’s not necessarily the easiest place to bat at times. His technique and his style, what we’re asking from him is to try and chase great moments, try and embrace the fact that inconsistency will be there because you’re that type of player.”
However, Butcher, speaking on Sky Sports, raised the possibility that England’s position might be hurting Crawley, rather than helping him.
“You hear people talk about duty of care in all walks of life, but I think this constant backing is doing Crawley more harm than good,” he said. “You cannot keep failing and not have it affect you mentally. I think it is starting to get cruel. Technically he looks as out of sorts as anytime in his Test career – he got out to a missed sweep and how many times did he find a leading edge to deliveries he is trying to play on the leg-side. It is all well and good backing players but he is 24 years old, so it is not terminal for him to be left out now and come back a better player. So many guys before him have done it.”
Even away from the Test arena, Crawley has struggled this summer. He has an average of 24.25 for Kent in the County Championship and an average of 25 for London Spirit in The Hundred. “He is not scoring runs in any cricket – whether it’s for England, Kent or in The Hundred,” said Butcher. “Confidence must be at an all-time low. I don’t care how many times you are patted on the back and told everything is going to be fine. A batsman’s currency is runs – end of story – and he is not making any for anybody.”
The second Test against South Africa begins on Thursday, August 25. With no backup opener in England’s squad, Crawley is expected to retain his place.
