Ollie Pope backs Zak Crawley to do well in the Ashes

Ollie Pope is confident that Zak Crawley would come good in the upcoming Ashes. In fact, he went on to say that Crawley could very well score a run-a-ball century against the famed Aussie attack.

Ever since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took up the leadership role for England, their test fortunes have changed dramatically, winning 11 of the 13 Tests they have played since then. 

A lot of it has had to do with the “Bazball” approach. In a bid to take the bull by its horns, English batters have been given the freedom to go out there and play their shots. Gone are the days when English batters would see out the ball, and wait for the right time to get some runs under the belt.

The only chink in this batting unit has been Crawley’s form. Despite being a constant selection, he averages only 27.7 in the 13 Tests.  However, Pope wasn’t too bothered by it. While he did admit that Crawley himself has not been too pleased with his returns, the English Test vice-captain feels that this Ashes would be the perfect stage for Crawley to showcase his potential.

"The player that Zak is, he could have a tough first game, have a tough first innings of a second game and then go and blast a hundred off a hundred, because he's got the ability to do that against Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon - these guys," 

"We chat about it openly and he wouldn't mind me saying - there have been times when he hasn't scored the weight of runs that he has wanted. But there have also been times where he has played some knocks that have gone under the radar. He's scored his three hundreds but he's also had a lot of big knocks at the top of the order." 

He also added that greater eyeballs on the Ashes does not mean that this is Crawley’s last shot at cementing his spot in the English top-order. There’s also added pressure, given the fact that England are yet to reclaim the urn in over eight years.

"Firstly, Zak is a top bloke and a very well-liked bloke in the changing room. There's a lot of media around it, because of the numbers. There's been a lot of chat. Coming in after someone like Alastair Cook and the way he played - what a legend of the game he is, averaged 40-odd - there's probably a bit of a stereotype maybe as to that England opening spot, you need to be averaging 40 and batting this way."

"Just because it is an Ashes series, there's more on it because there are more public eyes watching. But it doesn't have to be a make-or-break series. There's pressure on us all going into this series. We're playing one of the best teams in the world in our home conditions, so we're desperate for everyone to do well. 

"But at the same time, if it doesn't go to plan, what we've done as a team in the last year and a bit is something we all are proud of. For nobody is it a make-or-break series."