Ashes 2023: "Zak Crawley Likes To Play Down The Ground And Is Good On The Short Ball Which Makes Him Tough To Bowl At" - Rob Key Backs England's Rising Batter To Come Good Against Australia

There has been a lot of hype around the Ashes 2023 which is slated to commence on 16th June. Zak Crawley has been under the scanner as the batter hasn’t been able to convert his starts which is a concern for the team. Zak Crawley hasn’t smashed a ton ever since head coach Brendon McCullum & skipper Ben Stokes have been at the helm.

England Cricket Board (ECB) will have to carefully manage the workload of the veteran fast bowlers Stuart Broad & James Anderson, the side has been dealt a massive blow as Jofra Archer is ruled out of the entire home season due to an elbow injury.

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Australia though would sense that they can end the drought of 22 years as they haven’t won Ashes in England since 2001. Last time, under the regime of head coach Justin Langer & skipper Tim Paine the side had retained the urn and had squared the series by 2-2.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: Steve Smith Has Had A Lot Of Success Against Us In Recent Times – James Anderson

Zak Crawley has had match-winning contributions – Rob Key

ECB’s director of cricket Rob Key was having an interaction with Sky Sports. Rob Key took a unique stance and stated that Zak Crawley has made match-winning contributions to the team despite his lack of runs at the top. Crawley had scored only 58 runs in 4 innings against New Zealand Test Series. Rob Key pointed out that the duo Duckett & Crawley complement each other very well.

“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,” said Rob Key.

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“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,” he added.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: Stuart Broad-Mitchell Starc Engage In War Of Words Ahead Of First Test

Zak Crawley & Ben Duckett can put bowlers under pressure- Rob Key

Rob Key said that Ben Duckett & Zak Crawley will have to assert their dominance against the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc & Pat Cummins. Rob Key made a huge remark that Ashes 2023 would be a completely different ball game as compared to putting county bowlers under pressure.

“On their day, Ben Duckett & Zak Crawley 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,” said Rob Key

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England’s ultra-attacking approach ‘Bazball’ would be tested against the Aussies. We witnessed how their attacking brand of cricket approach failed against New Zealand in the 2nd Test match in 2023. Ben Stokes has made it clear that the side would be forced for a result even if they would lose the Test match.

Also Read: Ashes 2023: Jason Gillespie Comments On England’s Request For Flat Decks Throughout The Ashes