Trisha Ghosal in Manchester
Crawley finds calm in chaos. Finally playing “on instinct”
Zak Crawley may have missed out on a hundred, but he didn’t miss the bigger win: control. “I wasn’t premeditating, I was just reacting. I’ve always felt I can hit good balls for four and I let that come out today,” he said after his 84 that set the tone for England’s dominance.
He revealed he started working on feeling relaxed a couple of days ago: “Just small things like walking slower, removing tension. I felt sharp today unlike Edgbaston, where I was absolutely knackered.”
Does the pressure ever get to him?
Crawley doesn’t scroll social media, but admits the expectations still weigh heavy. “It’s internal,” he said. “I hold myself to high standards and I’ve wanted more runs over the past year. That pressure comes from within not outside.”
On the ‘needle’ with India — does he enjoy it?
Absolutely. “That eight-minute passage? No one crossed the line. It was competitive cricket and I loved it. Two of you against eleven, the chirping, the battle — that’s why I play.”
What’s behind his record against pacers?
Crawley averages over 50 against some of the world’s best quicks. Why? “Pace suits me. I can just react, not think too much. And I practise a lot for those guys — Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc — they make you sharper.”
On Ben Stokes: “Phenomenal. Again.”
He called Stokes “a proper wicket-taker” and said the England skipper has “got his 2020 pace and zip back”.
As for his partnership with Duckett?
“He takes pressure off me. Left-right, our height difference — it’s not easy for bowlers.”
And Rishabh Pant?
“Unreal, isn’t he?” Crawley smiled. “Not many could do that on one foot. It did make field placements tricky — do we expect him to run twos? But we adapted well and wrapped it up quickly.”
England’s verdict on Day 2?
“The boys are happy,” Crawley said simply. “We’re in a great position. And we played some really good cricket.”
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