"Dan Lawrence is not an opening batsman" - Geoffrey Boycott criticizes England for "smart alec" decision to replace Zak Crawley
Legendary England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has criticized the men's team selectors for their "smart alec" decision -- a (sometimes derogatory) slang for an obnoxious or know-it-all person -- for selecting middle-order batter Dan Lawrence to replace opener Zak Crawley in the Test series against England.
Crawley was ruled out of the three-Test rubber with a fractured finger. Lawrence, a wonderful stroke-player but with negligible experience of opening in red-ball cricket, was awarded with a chance after warming the bench waiting for months.
The match didn't go as well as he'd liked, though. He got out for 30 and 34 in the two innings. Although he comfortably outscored his senior opening partner Ben Duckett, it gave a big enough sample size for Boycott to spot key weaknesses in his game.
"Dan Lawrence is not an opening batsman," he wrote in his column for The Telegraph. "Why? His judgment around off stump is poor and his shot selection fraught with danger. It was a smart alec decision to make him an opener when he bats down the order in county cricket for Essex and now Surrey. It is a specialist position; not one you can learn on the job in Test cricket."
"He reminds me of Dom Sibley, who had moderate success opening for England in 22 Tests. Lawrence favours the leg side and looking to score there all the time can be his undoing. That’s how he got out second innings, leg-before playing across the line instead of straight," he added.
Boycott added that Lawrence's strokeplay might bring him "some" success as an opener but he won't be consistent because most good bowlers would find it easy to challenge his off-stump issue.
"Square peg in a round hole" - Geoffrey Boycott on Dan Lawrence
Boycott added that the only way for Lawrence to become a good opener in the long term would be working on his judgement on the off-stump, otherwise he'd always stay a "square peg in a round hole".
"Lawrence is a clean striker of the ball and has a range of strokes against spinners, but long-term success as an opener will be achieved only if he tightens up his judgment around off stump and plays straighter. For now he is a square peg in a round hole while Zak Crawley is out injured," he further wrote.
England took a comfortable five-wicket win in the Test and would now host Sri Lanka at Lord's from August 29.