CARRY ON H-OPENING CRAWLEY
Mccullum won’ t throw Zak under the bus
UNDER-FIRE Zak Crawley has been given Brendon Mccullum’s full backing to carry on opening the batting in Manchester – and prove he can still be a Test success.
Boss Mccullum is prepared to give the struggling Kent star another shot in the second clash with South Africa starting on Thursday, despite him struggling badly for form and confidence.
Crawley has endured a miserable summer with the bat.
He was out cheaply again as England’s exciting new Test world came crashing down with their hammering by an innings and 12 runs from South Africa at Lord’s – well inside three days.
The 24-year-old has managed a meagre 164 runs from his last 10 Test knocks.
And some former players have suggested it would be kinder for Crawley to remove him from the firing line for a while.
He looked out of sorts against the potent Proteas attack but Mccullum refuses to give up hope and insists there will be no sudden changes.
He said: “You want to keep giving guys opportunities
and then their skill and talent can come out. I thought he looked quite composed until he got out.
“There are not too many guys like Zak floating around and he is still learning his game at this level. It is going to take a bit of patience and persistence too.
“There have been some fine players over the years who have had periods where they have not quite nailed it but ended up great commodities for their sides.
“So we have to just work it out. I believe in him, that’s for sure. He’s a tough fella. He loves playing for England and when he gets going can win Tests for England.”
Mccullum claims it is vital to keep faith with players despite the first big setback in his short reign in charge.
After four successive wins over New Zealand and India, the Kiwi faces the task of lifting the team for the vital clash at Old Trafford.
England managed to bat for just 82.4 overs combined in their two innings at Lord’s – their third quickest defeat in terms of overs in a home Test.
But Mccullum said: “We have to keep consistent with our selection because then their skill and talent can come through.
“I believe in loyalty in selection because not does it just build loyalty within the side, but also with those guys on the outside who know they will get the same thing when it is their chance.
“We are not going to overreact. We will look at the areas where South Africa were better than us and others where we feel we can attack them.
“After a loss you are always sitting there thinking ‘can we replace this person or that one’ but you have to think about the overall package.
“We have guys who have been picked because they have certain skill sets and I am very confident with the squad we have.
“It hurts to lose but the language we
will use in the dressing room is simply ‘can we go a little harder and turn the pressure back on the opposition!’
“South Africa were far too good for us on this surface.
“They got more runs and took more wickets. But they also had reasonably helpful conditions, winning the toss and bowling first. We were not able to get enough runs first up.
“There were times when it was in the balance and their boys were testing us with the ball and we maybe could have been a little bit more brave to turn the pressure back on them.
“It is a contest for a reason... you get a winner and a loser. And just like all the accolades you get when you win, you have to suck it up it when you lose.
“But I believe we can still win this series.”