Crawley did not feel pressure on England place

Before scoring 124 in the first test against Zimbabwe, opener Zak Crawley claimed he was not feeling any extra pressure to play for England.

At the end of last year, the 27-year-old went on a rough tour of New Zealand and appeared to be threatened by Jacob Bethell along with number three Ollie Pope.

However, both Crawley and vice-captain Pope made a centuries-long comeback as England won the match 498-3 at Trent Bridge with Bethell out of the Indian Premier League.

When asked if he and Pope felt the strain in the starting lineup, Crawley responded, “I can’t speak for Ollie, but I certainly don’t feel like that.

The pressure is going to be on you whenever you play for your country, and that pressure is going to be on you constantly.

“Throughout my career, from the time I was very young up to now, people around me have consistently made me better by doing well and compelled me to do better.”

Later it was clarified that Stokes was speaking of Bethell’s return to the England squad rather than the first-choice XI.

Crawley continued, “I didn’t know what the captain said,” referring to the captain’s remarks. He didn’t need to speak with me.

In the three Test matches before Christmas, New Zealand’s Matt Henry abused the Kent player.

Crawley’s 8.66 was the lowest average by an England opener who had played at least six innings in a single series, and Henry dismissed him in all six of those innings.

But he has maintained a strong backbone among the management since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took over the England team in 2022.

Crawley praised the support of two people who I genuinely respect. They are certain that I have the right skills for the position, but they are undoubtedly wrong. I always want to honor that faith in myself and give it back.