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England will be without batsman Zak Crawley for the opening two Tests in the upcoming series against India, starting on Friday.
The talented right-hander from Kent, who only last year scored 267 in only his fifth ever Test innings, was penciled in to bat No. 3 during the five-Tests to accommodate the returning Rory Burns into the side, who himself is back from paternity leave.
23-year-old Crawley has shown real promise so far during his fledgling Test career, averaging 38.50 from his 10 matches, scoring three 50’s and one ton in the process.
This has caused a real head-scratching situation for captain Joe Root and Head coach Chris Silverwood to ponder on the eve of the biggest series outside of the Ashes, whilst also remembering the vital World Test Championship points total that are up for grabs, should either side which to progress to the Final this summer.
Joe Root now has an unwanted conundrum ahead of the first Test match
Credit; England Cricket.
Who England now choose to come in at No. 3 will be a tough decision with no specialist No. 3 in the squad as backup. With Jonny Bairstow, who batted No. 3 in the recent series against Sri Lanka being rested, whoever is selected to fill this vacancy will be under immense pressure from the outset.
England’s options from the squad consist of: Dan Lawrence, or Root, the returning Ben Stokes, or all-rounders Moeen Ali or Chris Woakes.
With Ollie Pope returning and believed to be batting at No. 6, the positions around him could not be any less settled
Photo: PAUL CHILDS/ACTION IMAGES
Lawrence, who excelled batting at No. 5 in Sri Lanka, will be hoping he is given the chance to keep his place with this move being his only possible avenue into the side, whereas Root, who will be playing his 100th Test match, has made no secret of how he dislikes batting at first drop.
Stokes has previously been given a go in 2018 away from home in spinning conditions against Sri Lanka the previous time England toured, but this was deemed as a failed experiment.
Ali has batted at No. 3 in tests also, and it is worth remembering that he scored two centuries during England’s last tour of India. Woakes would be a left-field choice, but when Jason Roy suffered an injury during the 2019 World Cup group game against West Indies, the Warwickshire all-rounder was promoted up the order and scored a meritable 40.
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Really enjoyed reading! Here’s hoping Zak is fit soon! Only just discovered your site but I’ll certainly be following now. This Alistair seems to write really interesting pieces.