Zak Crawley scored an amazing 189 on the second day on the old Trofcord Credit: Getty Images/Gareth Copley
Zak Crawley may not be in the medium, but to a greater extent failed in a larger contribution. Forcing himself to skin the tempter Pat Cummins, he made uneven contact for his liquid standards, but still found a place in cover to win two all-important tries. It was a fitting expression of an absolutely amazing opportunity in Manchester, with a hundred of anything but random, and yet filled with richer strokes than a Lowry painting.
He was not so much running towards danger, to borrow the famous baseball creed, as he was rushing towards it with a victoriously raised bat. Crowley is a bewildering cricketer who scored 267 in only his eighth test match, but whose volatility has become so chronic that this glorious free age has only pushed his average above 30 just a tiny bit.The intensity of the study could do serious psychological damage to the more tender soul. “Mad,” said Alastair Cook after this year's tour of New Zealand, where Crowley ran a measly 58 runs in total. “I'm not quite sure about my game,” said David Gower. And that's just the former captains. His tormentors on Twitter, annoyed at how often he refused delivery, joked that they could tell Crowley a joke, but “he'll just go and rip it off.”
Luckily, Crowley wasn't inclined to lash out, adopting a remarkably dismissive attitude towards social media at 25. “Being out there helps me get away from the average Joe and what they say, which of course doesn't bother me anyway,” he said earlier this summer. Weeding out the noise is a tricky move given his record in three and a half Ashes Tests so far, with that authoritative shot at Old Trafford he jumped over Ben Stokes to become the series' top scorer. If England's supporters don't take him to heart now, they never will.
Crowley's incredible knock will serve as some proof of the selector's patience. Photo: Getty Images/Stu Forster
During a stormy afternoon session, the average Joe embraced his attraction. “He's taller than the spotlights, Zach Crowley,” the Barmies chanted of the 6ft 5in superstar of the day as he unleashed a hurricane of drives, whips and exhausting sweeps with this easily practiced technique. He certainly seemed like a giant to the Aussie fast players by the time he hit four backs in a row with the Cummins to reach his 150. With the few opportunities he was given to wipe out part-time Travis Head, the mismatch looked almost brutal.
Crowley kept the breeders' patience far beyond what any other England player could have hoped for. Indeed, Brandon McCallum saw his string of bad results as an acceptable trade-off in dealing with such extravagant talent. “I'm looking at a guy like Zach and his skills don't allow him to be a consistent cricketer,” the head coach said last summer. “He's not that kind of player. He has a game in which he can win matches for England.
A real clairvoyant, our Brandon. For this was the day when Crowley responded to the prophecies of his fans in stunning style, patiently adjusting to the circumstances and then stepping on the gas pedal to devastating effect. He scored 20 points after the first 30 balls, 22 after the second 30 and 56 after the third. To look at him in full force, with no respect for the Australian team's reputation for attacking pace, was to marvel at the quantum leap that England had taken since the last Ashes tour, when hapless newcomers Rory Burns and Hasib Hamid were such sitting ducks that they often kept poor Joe Root playing in the middle of the first hour out of the game.
McCallum clearly knows how to handle Crowley, often seeking him out after a low score to offer him a strengthening cigar. “Go out and be the best version of yourself,” he advised. The message was one that Crowley, realizing how his worst flaws tend to materialize when he puts undue pressure on himself, easily absorbed. By eliminating expectations, he created a platform for prosperity.
It is reasonable to assume that the previous regimes of England never gave Crowley such leeway, such was their obsession with data. But in his case, prioritizing exposure over raw numbers was astute. Crowley, in this mood, demonstrates the wisdom of supporting a player who is not afraid to hit.
McCallum was brilliant, the main attribute must be an aura of calm to withstand periods of constant brutality with a new ball in difficult conditions. And in its place – a license, step on the gas and see what happens. The outcome is often unpredictable. But the spectacle Crowley put on by releasing shots with such pedigree that Aussies lined up to shake his hand at the end is truly breathtaking.
Boycott briefing, test day four, game over two.
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