England star batter Zak Crawley has made a huge statement before the second Ashes Test against Australia having ended on the wrong side of the result in the Edgbsaton affair. According to Crawley, the hosts will win by a big margin, which has raised eyebrows, as he predicts a 150-run margin will see them level the series at 1-1. England lost the opening Test match of the Ashes in the final session of Day 5 as the thriller led Australia to take a 1-0 lead.
"I think we'll win. I think it will suit us a bit more, that pitch. So I think we'll win by, I don't know, 150 runs?” Crawley said on Friday, June 23 while addressing the media.
Crawley, 25, reckons England did not make a mistake by declaring in the first innings as they narrowly missed out on the win. The hosts needed two wickets to win in the final hour of Day 5 but couldn'tdismiss the pair of Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins as they put up a match-winning stand for the ninth wicket. The Aussies won the contest by two wickets where Cummins scored an unbeaten 45 while Lyon ended with 16 runs as they stitched a partnership of 55 runs.
"That's why we took [this loss] better than other losses perhaps because it was great for the game. I think Sky had record viewing figures, and Test Match Special had record listening figures, so this week was a great week for cricket and that's what we're all about.
"We're not about results. We always talk about that. We're not about winning or losing: we're about entertainment. Of course, we're there to win and it helps our brand and what we're trying to do. If we win, we get more traction,” Crawley added.
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The two teams are now set to meet on Wednesday, June 28 at the iconic Lord’s as England have a score to settle. Both teams will be hoping to make wholesale changes as England are likely to be without Moeen Ali while the Aussie management will have a tough decision to make as they will have to accommodate Mitchell Starc since both Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland are in good nick of form.
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