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Cricket World Player of the Week - Zak Crawley

©CWM

Had rain not played spoilsport, England were all set to level the Ashes going into the decider, all thanks to their polarising opener Zak Crawley.

Zak Crawley gets a lot of flak on social media. When Ben Foakes was dropped for the Ashes to make room for Jonny Bairstow, many suggested that it should have been Crawley who should have dropped, owing to his underwhelming performances before the Ashes.

However, his fluent knocks in Ashes 2023 have been a massive tick for the way coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes backed the opener, despite slim results to show for.

Come the Ashes, Crawley has been at his breezy best, highlighted by his nonchalant 189 off just 182 balls in the Manchester Test. In the second session on day two, England smashed 178 runs at a sensational rate of 7.16, making it the most runs a session has seen in the ongoing series.

Crawley and Joe Root (84 off 95 balls) added 206 off just 178 balls to literally bat Australia out of the Test match. Their stand also became the double-century partnership with the highest recorded run-rate in Test history.

Crawley's strike-rate of 103.84 is the second-highest in an Ashes innings of 150 or more runs, only behind Adam Gilchrist, who made 152 off 143 balls at Edgbaston in 2001.

Australia may have retained the Ashes, but that does not take anything away from Crawley's scintillating performance, which will certainly find a spot in his career highlights reel.

POTM ??

? First Ashes century
? Fourth Test century

Well played, Zak ?? #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/G8cSpM5XKd
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 23, 2023