IND vs ENG 2025: England opener Crawley admits enjoying his role in ‘time-wasting row’ in Lord’s Test
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IND vs ENG 2025: England opener Crawley admits enjoying his role in ‘time-wasting row’ in Lord’s Test")
ENG opener Crawley admits enjoying his role in ‘time-wasting row’ in Lord’s Test Photograph: (Others)
Zak Crawley played that one over off Jasprit Bumrah late on day three at Lord's that made headlines.
England opener Zak Crawley said he loved his role in the time-wasting row during the Lord’s Test, also involving Indian captain Shubman Gill. Crawley played that one over off Jasprit Bumrah late on day three that made headlines. Meanwhile, following his attacking 84 in the first innings in Manchester, Crawley admitted enjoying riling up India during ‘that passage of play’ in the previous Test, which saw Gill lose his cool and attack the English opener with, 'grow some f***ing balls' remarks during the verbal altercation. The pair also pointed fingers at each other during the heated exchange.
"I've always enjoyed that part of cricket, to be honest, especially when you're batting," Crawley said after the second day’s play at Old Trafford.
"There's two of you against eleven, and they're desperate to get you out, and they're chirping you.
"Most of the time, I'd probably let it slide, and then other times, I feel like it's a good chance to put it back on them. I loved that little eight-minute passage. No one stepped over the line. I thought everyone was in good spirits. It was just competitive cricket, and I really enjoyed it,” he continued.
Crawley also addressed Gill’s accusations against the pair for arriving later (during the Lord's Test) than the mandatory 90-second window, saying, “No, no. Not at all. I sit in my spot [in the dressing room] until the umpires go out. I saw the umpires go, and I walked out. I wasn't aware that we were 90 seconds late, but fair enough.”
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Crawley wants from him
Since smashing 124 against Zimbabwe in the one-off Test at home, Crawley hasn’t been in the best of touch this series, having registered scores of 19, 0, 18 and 22 in the previous two Tests. He, however, looked like returning to form with his series-best 84 in the first innings in the fourth Test.
"I have high standards for myself, and I work very hard in my game," Crawley said. "I always want more for myself, and I've certainly wanted more for myself than I've got in the last year or so. That's just an internal thing. I don't feel that pressure from anyone else.
"I just feel like I owe it to myself to have a few more good performances. Days like today make the practice and the tougher times worth it a bit more. Obviously, I wanted more runs today, but I feel like I've worked hard and earned those runs,” he added.
Meanwhile, alongside Ben Duckett, who missed out on his second hundred of this series by just six runs, the pair added 166 runs for the first wicket before Ravindra Jadeja removed Crawley, caught in the slips. Joe Root and Ollie Pope are at the crease, with England trailing by 133 runs with eight wickets remaining in the first innings.
