Competition for top order places can only help England, believes Zak Crawley

NICK FRIEND: In Rory Burns’ football-enforced absence in South Africa, Crawley and Dominic Sibley – both right-handers – forged a promising understanding, putting on stands of 70, 107 and 56 as the series wore on

England’s competition for places at the top of their batting line-up can only improve the team’s fortunes, believes Zak Crawley, one of the men fighting it out for a starting berth against Jason Holder’s West Indies in the first Test of the summer.

To a degree, the 22-year-old is the man in possession, having made a century at the top of the order when England last took to the field – against a Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in a warmup match for the series in Sri Lanka in March, which was ultimately curtailed by the coronavirus outbreak. The hundred followed scores of 43 and 91 in the first practice game of the tour.

Likewise, he had impressed in South Africa, when England last played Test cricket. He made only a single on his international debut in New Zealand, batting at No.6 as England were forced into a reshuffle following an injury to Jos Buttler on the eve of the match. However, his scores then increased by the innings across his next four efforts – as a replacement opener after Rory Burns’ football injury, before he was dismissed for 24 in his final innings of the series at Johannesburg.

With Burns now fit again and Dominic Sibley also firmly in the reckoning, England will have a decision to make. There have been some suggestions that Crawley could shift down to No.3, where he spent much of his youth. That, though, would mean displacing Kent teammate Joe Denly.

“I remember with the Australia team of the early 2000s, some really good players didn't get in that side and I think that's why they were such a strong side,” Crawley said.

“They had such good training environments where everyone is always trying to improve to get in the side and it feels like we have something similar at the moment. we've got strength in depth and that's what pushes you harder.

“The way I see it, they will pick the best three players in form from what they see in the next couple of weeks. If I am in good nick in the next couple of weeks I will give myself a good chance. If I am in bad nick, then I’ve got very little chance. I’m just concentrating on my own game and trying to get myself in really good touch so they can maybe be impressed with what they see and pick me in the side.

“I don’t feel like the decision has been made yet. I definitely feel like the following couple of weeks, in nets and the warmup game, are a good chance to stake my claim and put my first foot forward. Maybe the decision has already been made, but I don’t know if it has or not.

“Rory has done very well in the games he’s played and got good runs in the Ashes series, a very tough series. He’s proven himself to be successful at Test level. Perhaps I haven’t quite completely proven myself yet, but hopefully with a couple of scores I can get to that point. That said, the side had a bit of success when I played.”

^{Zak Crawley made his England debut in New Zealand}

In Burns’ absence in South Africa, Crawley and Sibley – both right-handers – forged a promising understanding, putting on stands of 70, 107 and 56 as the series wore on.

“All the way through my career there’s been competition, right from when I was a 10-year-old, all the way up to now,” he added. That’s always improved me as a player, to try to get better than the people you’re competing against. I think it will be the same here.

“I know for a fact that with this competition I will improve. Even if I don’t get the call-up that I want, I’ll only improve as a player because of it. I definitely welcome it and long may it continue. It would be good for the England side if it continues for a long while.”

As for playing behind closed doors, Crawley sees few issues once the action gets underway, working on the basis that the need to concentrate in the heat of battle often overrides external crowd noise in any case.

“I feel like once the first ball is bowled, it will be back to normal for all of us,” he explained. “You zone in so much and you’re trying to focus in so much. I don’t think the crowd comes into it as soon as the first ball is bowled.

“In the warmup, I found is when you really notice it. You’re not focusing as much maybe, you are looking around, seeing all the people in the stadium. That’s when you get all really nervous, seeing all the people there.

“But I have found that once the first ball is bowled, you’re nervous because of your self-expectations, not because of the crowd around you. You are concentrating so much on what you are trying to do that the crowd don’t really play a part in your mental state.”

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