Zak Crawley got some much-needed respite from the speculation about his England place with a battling half-century on the final day of Kent’s County Championship match against Gloucestershire on Monday.
Following first-innings knocks of one, nought and one for Kent this season, his unbeaten 54 that helped save his county from defeat at Canterbury was welcome.
It followed second-innings scores of 31 and 58 in Kent’s opening two matches. Yet his form, in Division Two no less, should be put in its proper context, especially as it comes after a nightmare winter with the bat.
On England’s tour of New Zealand just before Christmas, Crawley averaged 8.66 across three Tests. Only bowlers Shoaib Bashir and Matthew Potts averaged less among the England squad.
Afterwards, not even the freedom of playing Twenty20 cricket for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 could liberate Crawley from his funk, the opener averaging 11 in the tournament, scoring just 80 runs overall in eight matches.
Chaos… but vitally the ball stays up! t.co/JfV63m0mX1 pic.twitter.com/hAYJv2OiUw
— Gloucestershire Cricket (@Gloscricket) April 19, 2025
This is nothing new for Crawley or England. He averaged 14.50 during England’s 1-1 series draw in New Zealand in early 2023.
But he was backed by the management and repaid that faith with a stunning Ashes, hitting the first ball of the series at Edgbaston through the covers for four and scoring 480 runs, more than any other player bar Australia’s Usman Khawaja, at an average of 53.33.
It is why ahead of a huge nine months that includes five Tests at home to India and another five in Australia, Crawley will be backed again and named in England’s squad for the opening match of the summer against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge next month.
However, if his form does deteriorate further or he is injured, England know there are alternatives out there who could come in and replace him. Unlike last summer, when Crawley’s broken finger ruled him out of the series against Sri Lanka, England will not go for a stop-gap as they did back then by throwing in Dan Lawrence at the top of the order.
This time there are viable alternatives to Crawley. They are unlikely to step up just yet. But who are the names in the frame who could replace him if needed?
Jacob Bethell has quickly established himself as a rising star for England (Photo: Getty)
Thrust into an unfamiliar No 3 role in New Zealand last winter, Bethell struck three half-centuries and impressed with his composure and maturity.
At 21, he is only at the start of his career but the Warwickshire all-rounder could be an option at three or as an opener for England in Test cricket.
Currently on the bench at the Indian Premier League, it will be interesting to see how involved he is with the Test team this summer. The expectation is that, at worst, he will be the spare batter in squads and ready to come in if injury rules any of the top six out.
Ben McKinney
The 20-year-old Durham opener is on England’s radar after scoring a century against Australia A in Sydney earlier this year.
Averaging just shy of 40 in first-class cricket, McKinney is still young but impressed earlier this month with 153 against Warwickshire – his third first-class century in just 14 games.
His aggressive style makes him a natural fit for Bazball, with his first-class strike-rate of 74 higher than that of Crawley.
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Backed by Paul Farbrace, his head coach at Sussex, for an England call-up, the 26-year-old left-hander already has two centuries this season.
Most recently, he scored 174 and an unbeaten 69 against champions Surrey.
“I think if he comes on to the England radar, which I hope he does, the way he naturally plays would suit the way England play anyway,” Farbrace said.
Alex Lees
Dropped after the first summer of Bazball in 2022, Lees made an eye-catching 172 against his former county Yorkshire last week.
It followed a 2024 summer where he struck four Championship centuries and averaged 46.
Now playing in a more positive fashion than he did during his previous spell with England, Lees would be an eye-catching pick for a shot at redemption after averaging 23.84 from his first 10 Tests.
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