Zak Crawley has taken a break from first-class cricket to “recharge”, just weeks after losing his England place.
Crawley was dropped by the Test selectors after the disappointment of the Ashes, departing the top table with a modest average of just 31.20 after 64 appearances in the top order.
Like all of England’s misfiring batters, he had been challenged to prove himself in the Rothesay County Championship but the 28-year-old has never been a prolific domestic run-scorer. And so it proved once again as he averaged a sketchy 20.54 across 12 innings, without a single half-century.
Now, just a few days after Emilio Gay made a solid first impression in his old England opening berth, Crawley had stepped away from red-ball cricket by opting out of Kent’s clash with Lancashire on Friday, as well as the subsequent game against Middlesex.
With an England recall surely a distant prospect, it is not hard to believe that this could be the start of a more permanent shift towards white-ball cricket for Crawley. He was a big-money signing by Sunrisers Leeds in the inaugural Hundred auction and has reportedly been lined up to captain the franchise.
A statement from Kent read: “After discussions between Zak Crawley, the player group, coaching staff and the ECB, Crawley will be rested for the next two County Championship fixtures.
“This period will allow him to recharge so he can fully commit and give his all for the remainder of the season, with his immediate focus shifting to T20 cricket through to the end of the Vitality Blast.”
Crawley’s central contract with England ends in September and he is no position to command another.
He could instead choose to pursue a career on the franchise circuit but such an avenue is no guarantee given he was dropped during an overseas stint with SA20 side Sunrisers Eastern Cape last year.
