Who said what - Top 5 expert reactions to Zak Crawley's stunning 189 in 4th Ashes Test
Zak Crawley produced arguably the innings of the Ashes so far as he smashed a stunning 189 against Australia on Day 2 of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester. His counter-attacking knock has ensured that the hosts are in a commanding position at the time of writing.
Crawley had gone through a lean patch of form in the recent past, but he repaid the faith shown in him by the team management with a knock that could potentially help England level the series in Manchester.
Former cricketers and cricket experts hailed Zak Crawley for a truly incredible knock as it caught Australia off-guard and made opposition skipper Pat Cummins look absolutely helpless against the carnage.
On that note, let's take a look at the top five expert reactions to Crawley's sensational knock:
#5 Michael Atherton
Former England cricketer Michael Atherton praised Zak Crawley for taking the attack to Australia and also credited captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum for continuing to show faith in the opener. Here's what he said on Sky Sports Cricket's Ashes Podcast:
"It sums up what England have been expecting from Crawley. They were prepared to go through the bad times which are the low scores that they have seen because they know what the upside and the potential is. And we saw that today when he tore Australia apart."
#4 Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain shed light on why Stokes and McCullum were adamant to stick to Zak Crawley despite his poor form in the past. He credited Crawley for not letting any Australian bowler settle. Here's what the former England captain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail:
"They want someone to go out there and put opposition bowlers on the back foot. It’s not about smashing everything, but absorbing pressure, and transferring it onto your opponents, which is what Crawley can do. It was summed up in the really smart way he went after Australia’s part-time spinner Travis Head: the moment he came into the attack it was bang, reverse sweep four, to go to his 50, bang, slog sweep six."
#3 Mark Taylor
Former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor also had words of praise for Zak Crawley for his incredible knock. Despite the inconsistency that the England opener has shown in the past, Taylor feels such an innings proves just what he is capable of. Here's what he told Sky Sports Cricket:
“When you see an innings like that, you tend to understand why England have backed him over a period of time. For a man that’s played 38 Tests and averaging 29, it is when he produces an innings like that, you stand back and say, ‘Wow.’ If he is able to be consistent with that, it will make him a really special player.”
#2 Ricky Ponting
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting termed Zak Crawley's knock as 'special'. He also lauded captain Stokes for identifying the trait in Crawley and not giving up on the player when he was through a lean phase. Here's what Ponting told Sky Sports Cricket:
"Outstanding. I think a lot of people around English cricket have known what he is capable of. Yes, it has probably been a bit lean here and there, but Stokes wants to pick people with special things ahead of them, and what Crawley has produced here is very special."
#1 Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik also praised Zak Crawley for his hundred and especially shed light on how well he was able to disrupt the plans of the Australians. Pat Cummins was seen constantly changing fields and bowlers and yet it was to no avail.
Here's what the veteran Indian wicketkeeper told Sky Sports:
“Got inside the minds. (Australia) have been chasing him. Chasing the ball, chasing in the field. Setting different fields almost every second ball.”
England are inching closer to a lead of 200 runs at the time of writing and will be hoping that the bowlers do the rest of the job to help them level the series.