Andrew Strauss Feels Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley Have A Challenge To Prove Themselves During India vs England 2nd Test At Lord's

Former England cricketer Andrew Strauss feels that Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, and Zak Crawley have to prove themselves in the upcoming India vs England 2^nd Test match at Lord’s. The former England skipper also feels that Lord’s Test might be the last opportunity for the three top-order batsmen to showcase their strength in batting.

Rory Burns and Dom Sibley opened the innings for England in the 1st Test match against India while Zak Crawley batted at the no.3 spot. The trio failed to give a good start to England in both the innings, with none of them surpassing a 30-run individual score in any innings during the ongoing  Test series.

Since the start of the year 2021, Rory Burns owns a batting average of 31.40, Dom Sibley has an average of 21.56 while Zak Crawley has batted at an average of 11.14 in Tests.

Consistent Batting In Tests Is A Challenge For Them, Says Andrew Strauss

In a conversation with ESPNCricinfo, Andrew Strauss said that England’s top three Test batsmen have the challenge to show their consistency in batting. He mentioned that the conditions are challenging for opening batsmen but it is their job to bat well at the spot.

“You’ve got to go back a long time to see conditions that have been as challenging for opening batsmen. But ultimately, that’s what they’re in the job to do and someone at some stage will grab that opportunity with both hands.

“We’ve seen instances where Burns, Sibley and Crawley – all three of them – have been able to do it, but as we know, the key to having a long England career is doing it consistently. We haven’t seen that, so that’s a challenge for them,” Andrew Strauss said.

Taking about Haseeb Hameed, Andrew Strauss said that the England player will be eyeing an opportunity to showcase his batting in Tests. Hameed is part of England’s squad for the five-match Test series against India. He is an opening batsman who has scored 219 runs in 6 Test innings so far at an average of 43.80.

“I was up at Trent Bridge last week and I was looking at Haseeb Hameed in the nets and he looked very impressive. Not that means anything, as we know, but I’m sure he’ll be chomping at the bit to get an opportunity,” Strauss said.

The India vs England 1^st Test encounter at Trent Bridge in Nottingham ended in a draw after rain totally affected Day 5 of the match. India, being 52-1 on Day 4, needed 157 more runs to win the game with a target of 209. Now, both the teams will battle against each other in the 2^nd Test, scheduled to begin on August 12 (Thursday) at Lord’s.