"It seems a little distant now, a little by-the-by, that this Ashes series was billed, among other things, as a referendum on Zak Crawley's England career. The tour he was groomed for. The hidden sub-menace in his one-year central contract offer. Here was a chance to justify the high-wire walk of the last few years, to find an answer, perhaps, to the eternal question: is Zak Crawley actually any good?"
"Crawley averages 31 in this series too. This is Crawley maths. He will always average 31, feast or famine. It is his destiny to remain unshakably himself. The Crawley identity will always be associated for some with the idea of favour, entitlement, indulgence. But there have been many more selfish England batters than this. A more favourable metric: Crawley has been part of 30 England Test victories, only one behind Michael Atherton but in 52 fewer matches."
The Ashes tour was framed as a test of Zak Crawley's place in the England team, but other team issues have diverted attention. Shoaib Bashir, a spin project picked from social media, is included for Sydney despite a wicket drought since July. Crawley approaches his 64th Test, ranking tenth among England openers, and maintains a Test average of 31. He produced both a pair and later became England's top scorer on the tour, exemplifying a feast-or-famine pattern. Critics link his persona to favour and entitlement, yet he has contributed to 30 England Test wins.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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