Zak Crawley's struggles are becoming an all-too-familiar theme in his career as England's opening batsman. The 23-year-old, who has the dubious distinction of being the worst-tested opener in Test history, is having a dreadful run against Australia.
The debate surrounding Crawley's place in the team has been ongoing for some time now, but it seems that England coach Ben Stokes has stuck by his guns. Despite two disastrous ducks on debut in Perth, Stokes remains adamant that Crawley is the future of English cricket.
However, it's hard to see how Crawley can continue to be given a chance when he has such a low average - 30.96 - against Australia, and has averaged just six runs per dismissal since the start of the summer series against India.
Crawley's struggles are largely due to his preference for speed, which seems to have deserted him in Perth. His record against high pace is alarmingly poor, with only eight innings and four dismissals to show for it. In contrast, his home average of 55.5 suggests that he has a good understanding of how to deal with the bounce on English pitches.
One theory behind Crawley's struggles is that he has been trying too hard to make an impact in Australia, where he has struggled against the pace and bounce of the local bowlers. His impressive record at home seems to have given him confidence that can be hard to replicate abroad.
However, with no obvious alternative opener available, it's difficult to see how England can drop Crawley without causing a major upheaval to their batting lineup. Stokes has faith in his player, but it's starting to look like a misguided gamble.
As the series against Australia continues, it remains to be seen whether Crawley will be able to bounce back from his two Perth failings or if he will become another forgotten England opener. One thing is for sure: with such a low average, he needs to start scoring runs quickly to salvage his reputation and prove that Stokes was wrong to stick by him.
The debate surrounding Crawley's place in the team has been ongoing for some time now, but it seems that England coach Ben Stokes has stuck by his guns. Despite two disastrous ducks on debut in Perth, Stokes remains adamant that Crawley is the future of English cricket.
However, it's hard to see how Crawley can continue to be given a chance when he has such a low average - 30.96 - against Australia, and has averaged just six runs per dismissal since the start of the summer series against India.
Crawley's struggles are largely due to his preference for speed, which seems to have deserted him in Perth. His record against high pace is alarmingly poor, with only eight innings and four dismissals to show for it. In contrast, his home average of 55.5 suggests that he has a good understanding of how to deal with the bounce on English pitches.
One theory behind Crawley's struggles is that he has been trying too hard to make an impact in Australia, where he has struggled against the pace and bounce of the local bowlers. His impressive record at home seems to have given him confidence that can be hard to replicate abroad.
However, with no obvious alternative opener available, it's difficult to see how England can drop Crawley without causing a major upheaval to their batting lineup. Stokes has faith in his player, but it's starting to look like a misguided gamble.
As the series against Australia continues, it remains to be seen whether Crawley will be able to bounce back from his two Perth failings or if he will become another forgotten England opener. One thing is for sure: with such a low average, he needs to start scoring runs quickly to salvage his reputation and prove that Stokes was wrong to stick by him.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." 
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. And Stokes knows that, but hes also got to consider the fact that Crawley's a young player with a lot of potential - maybe he just needs a bit more time to find his feet? 
maybe he just needs to chill and trust his game a bit more? it's def a risk for england if they drop him now, but at the same time stokes is probs gonna stick by him till the end... 
at least give the kid some time, 2 ducks in Perth isn't exactly a great start, but you gotta think about what Stokes sees in him - maybe he's just not suited for test cricket atm... idk, i'm torn, part of me wants to believe in him but another part is all like "drop him and try someone else" 
u mean ben stokes still trustin him despite all the struggles? 
like what if he just cant hack it against aussie pace?? australia is killing him out there 
but at the same time, no obvious opener to drop so maybe england will be stuck with crawley for a while longer 
it's defo a gamble and i'm not sure how stokes will react when crawley fails again lol
and i'm not sayin stokes is clueless or anythin but 30.96 average against australia? that's just embarrassin 
gotta wonder if his confidence is gettin the better of him playin for england 
, right? I mean, 30.96 average against Australia is like a perpetual punchline... but seriously, how many times can you keep sticking it to yourself (pun intended) before the jokes stop working? The guy's got talent, but his confidence seems to be as fragile as a dropped catch 
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. He's got a lot to prove, and it's not easy comin' back from two big failures like that. I mean, 30.96 average is no joke, but maybe he just needs some time to figure out how to deal with Aussie pace? 
It's easy to say we should drop him, but what about givin' him another chance? That's not exactly a vote of confidence either 
. Can't we just try to help him improve instead of makin' him feel like he's on the chopping block?