Zak Crawley: Why are England so keen to pick opener and is their thinking flawed?

The reality, though, is the batter England have picked specifically for this series began with two ducks.

It could, quite literally, not have gone worse.

Having invested so much, dropping Crawley after one Test and promoting a debutant from the Lions or asking Will Jacks or Jacob Bethell to open for the first time would be an even more erratic move.

However, there are concerning trends Crawley must correct – most startling a sharp downturn in his record against high pace.

Crawley’s preference for speed was reflected in a career average of 48.25 against deliveries over 87mph at the start of this summer’s drawn series against India.

Since then he averages six against such deliveries, with five dismissals in 54 balls at the hands of Starc, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.

Pace, though, was not necessarily Crawley’s problem in Perth.

If anything he was early on the shot when caught-and-bowled by Starc in the second innings.

Instead, what connects both failures was the fact they were again both drives – the first aggressive swish edged to the slips before a more tentative push.

With pitches in Australia tougher than ever and the refined Kookaburra seaming more, driving is fraught with far more danger these days.

Crawley averages 55.5 with the shot at home but only 8.25 in Australia, with four dismissals in eight innings. His strength, as so often happens, is also a weakness.

It leaves, despite all the talk and hope, Crawley’s average in Australia at 20.75.

England will give him time and have little alternative.

But results are not backing up the theory.

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