"Serial slip catch giver surfaces again" - Twitter roasts Zak Crawley after another failure in Lord's Test against South Africa
Zak Crawley's woes as a Test opener reached another abyss as he perished for nine runs in the Lord's Test against South Africa on Wednesday (August 17). This comes on the back of repeated failures at the top of the order for the Kent opener.
Having seen fellow opening partner Alex Lees nick behind to Kyle Verreynne off Kagiso Rabada, Crawley took a bit of time to assess the conditions. He even struck a firm on-drive off Lungi Ngidi, suggesting that he was up for a scrap after England were asked to bat first by the visitors.
However, it didn't take Rabada too long to induce his outside edge, with Aiden Markram snaffling a good low catch at second slip. If anything, it was archetypal of what has become a pattern associated with the right-handed opener, whose issues outside the off-stump have resurfaced again.
Despite his first-class batting average dipping below 30, Crawley has been backed by the England team management. The Twitterati didn't hold back after he failed again and had plenty to say about the same.
Here are some of the reactions:
How normal people. How English
see Zack Crawley selectors see
Zack Crawley
#ENGvSA https://t.co/mmJFVMb1fQ
@Puneite_ Watching Crawley open the innings,my respect for Dom sibley โฌ๏ธ
Zak "don't persist with me anymore" Crawley
#CricketTwitter #ENGvSA
Zak Crawley out for single figures?!? https://t.co/UTgWKcUeYK
No batter is better at what they do than Crawley. Unfortunately, what he does is edge to slip #ENGvSA
Crawley averages 26 in 47 test inns , without that 267 vs Pakistan , he averages 21 in 46 test inns...long enough rope to understand he does not belong here ..
Continuing to play Crawley is doing him more harm than good now.
Time for a change
I just really feel for Crawley at this point. He's being exposed time & time again & needs time out of the test game to find answers.
Question is, is there actually even a point where England would consider dropping him?
Crawley the serial slip catch giver surfaces again.
Death, Taxes and Zac Crawley edging to slip..... #engvsaf @englandcricket
Zak Crawley is not a Test cricket batter. #ENGvSA
What McCullum Is Doing To Crawley Might Be Up There With What He Did To Ross Taylor If This Continues #ENGvSA
Crawley https://t.co/u4XC8hvaGn
Crawley not good enough, may as well just start 0-1 and play with 10. #ENGSA
Zak Crawlin' out of the Test team
#ENGvsSA #CricketTwitter
England lose Root and Bairstow on either side of the drinks break
South Africa's captain Dean Elgar opted to bowl first under the overcast conditions at Lord's and the move paid dividends. After Kagiso Rabada removed openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje took over to keep the momentum going.
Jansen trapped Joe Root in front for eight and despite the top-ranked Test batter opting for a review, ball tracking confirmed that it would have clipped leg stump.
Soon after the drinks break, Jonny Bairstow's middle stump was flattened by the velocity of Nortje. The in-form Yorkshireman, who has four centuries to his name this summer, departed for a duck.
STUMPS GO FLYING
SuperSport Grandstand 201๐ด STUMPS GO FLYING
Shear pace from Anrich Nortje goes straight through Bairstow and dismantles his stumps
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟEngland 55/4 after 16.3 overs
๐๏ธ Ball by ball bit.ly/3NTr9kE
๐บ SuperSport Grandstand 201
#ENGvSA #BePartOfIt
At the time of writing, England are 80/4 at the end of 22 overs. Skipper Ben Stokes is currently batting on 10 while Ollie Pope looks well set on 42 off 60 deliveries. The hosts have their task cut out, with South Africa's four-man seam attack making the ball talk in the bowler-friendly conditions.