Former Australian legend exposes Ben Stokes; blames Zak Crawley for his own dismissal against India in the 2nd Test

Zak Crawley was the only consistent batter for England during the second Test against India at Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Vishakhapatnam. He scored 76 and 73 in the second Test and was looking good in both innings with his attacking mindset against the spin-bowling.

However, in the second innings, he was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav who trapped him on the pads, initially the umpire gave it a not out but Team India took a DRS and the ball-tracking showed that the ball would have hit the leg stump.

The decision was overturned and Zak Crawley was declared out and returned to the pavilion after a well-made 73 off 132 balls. England’s skipper Ben Stokes expressed his disappointment with the DRS after Crawley’s dismissal in the second innings.

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However, former Australia spinner Brad Hogg reckons the ball would hit the leg stumps and blamed Zak Crawley for playing the ball on the back which was supposed to be played on the front. He felt that the delivery was a back spinner from Kuldeep Yadav that went straight.

“I felt it was an attempted back spinner from Kuldeep that went straight on. I felt it was hitting the leg stump. It was Crawley’s fault that he played back to a delivery that should have been played forward. I felt it was out,” Brad Hogg said. He also stated that the intent from Crawley was right to attack the spinners but he feels that these kinds of shots are not the right decision sometimes.

“Crawley got out playing a similar shot like that in the first innings. The intent is right. The idea to dominate the spinners is right. But sometimes they play shots that are not quite there, and it has happened quite a few times in this England team. England played with the right intent, but every now and then you will play a shot that’s not quite there,” the former Australian spinner added.

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Zak Crawley Is Someone Who Can Be A Threat Once He Gets Going

Since the introduction of Bazball in the England Test regime, Zak Crawley was added as an opener replacing Rory Burns in the side. Since then he has been one of the most aggressive openers in Test cricket.

He made his Test debut for England against New Zealand in 2019 at Seddon Park. Zak Crawley has played 41 Test matches and has amassed 2404 runs in 76 innings at an average of 32.49. He has smashed 12 half-centuries and four centuries which also includes a massive double-century against Pakistan which came in August 2020.

The third Test of the five-match Test series between India and England will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot. The match will commence on February 15, Thursday and both teams will have a chance to take a lead in the series as the series is leveled at 1-1 currently.

India lost the first Test in Hyderabad but made a spectacular comeback in Vizag as they defeated England by 106 runs. The hosts will be hoping to continue their winning streak at home.

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