"He has had match-winning contributions" - Robert Key backs Zak Crawley despite inconsistent performances

England's managing director of men's cricket Robert Key has defended sticking to Zak Crawley despite the opener yielding inconsistent returns. Key suggested that Crawley's impact matters more than the weight of his runs.

The right-handed batter managed only one half-century last summer in seven Tests. The Kent opener's unbeaten 69 came against South Africa in the final Test of the season. While he did decently in Pakistan, the youngster's four innings in New Zealand returned only 58 runs.

Pakistan finally have a wicket!

Asad Shafiq gets his man and Zak Crawley is stumped for an excellent 267 🙌

#ENGvPAK SCORECARD ▶️ bit.ly/ENGvPAK3 https://t.co/HP6SoBkYzO

Speaking to Sky Sports, Key underlined that alongside his impact in the England Test team, Crawley also complements Ben Duckett well. The 43-year-old observed that their opening combination is challenging to bowl to. He said:

"Opening is a specialist position and we like that partnership as they have impacted games. Even if Zak hasn't got the weight of runs, he has had match-winning contributions. We also like their complementary skills. Duckett is a shorter left-hander who plays square of the wicket. He cuts you and pulls you and will reverse sweep the spinner. Then you have a tall right-hander in Zak who likes to play down the ground and is good on the short ball. That becomes tough to bowl at."

In an interview with the BBC earlier this month, Crawley said most of his failings are down to putting too much pressure on himself. The right-hander also stated that he hardly pays attention to the critics online and that being away from social media helps.

"On their day, they can put bowlers under pressure" - Robert Key on Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley

Robert Key also backed Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley to do well against Australia's pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins in the Ashes, adding:

"On their day, they can put bowlers under pressure, no matter who they are. It's not about putting county bowers under pressure. This is about putting Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins - some of the best bowlers in the world - under pressure."

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook enter their names on the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium honours board ✍️

#PAKvENG | #UKSePK https://t.co/7XSYbgGqRz

The 2023 Ashes series starts on June 16 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.