Zak Crawley’s struggles with the bat continued on Day Four of the ongoing Lord’s Test as he was dismissed in a similar fashion to his second-innings dismissal at Edgbaston. The England opener never looked settled and managed just 22 runs off 49 balls, including three boundaries, before gifting his wicket away once again.
Facing Nitish Kumar Reddy, Crawley attempted a loose drive to an outswinger well outside off stump. He could only manage a thick edge, which flew to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. After the dismissal, Reddy gave Crawley an animated send-off, adding fuel to the already tense atmosphere following the dramatic scenes between Crawley and Shubman Gill at the end of Day Three.
After the heated exchanges between Crawley and the Indian team late on Day Three, English fans had hoped for a strong response from the opener. Instead, Crawley once again fell to a familiar mistake — chasing a wide delivery early in his innings. His inability to correct this technical flaw has continued to frustrate both supporters and critics.
Geoffrey Boycott’s Harsh Prediction Proving Right?
Crawley’s performance appears to validate former England great Geoffrey Boycott’s harsh assessment prior to the Test. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Boycott had expressed serious doubts about Crawley’s ability to improve his game.
“I don’t think he can change or get better. Batting is in the head and the brain dictates how you approach batting: what shots you attempt, what balls you leave. His faults in technique and thinking are ingrained,” Boycott had written.
His prediction seems to have played out once again at Lord’s. Crawley is enduring a disappointing series. In the first Test at Leeds, he was dismissed for just 4 in the first innings but bounced back with a solid 65 in the second. However, in the second Test, he managed just 19 and a duck. At Lord’s, his scores read 18 and 22.
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