Crawley relishing Tour chance
Saturday 3rd February 2018
Birthday boy Zak Crawley turns 20 today and is relishing the opportunity to stake a claim for a regular spot in the Kent line-up on the FGS Plant Tour.
The elegant right-hander top-scored with 60 in only his second one-day appearance and enjoyed the chance to open the batting against Guyana.
The tall Kent Cricket Academy graduate said: “I knew the day before that I’d be opening so I had a good chance to take my time and concentrate on building a score.
“I wasn’t particularly nervous and it helped chasing a total as I could focus on getting us off to a good start with Deebs, who batted well at the top.
“You get more time to build an innings and I find it easier to start against pace which you generally face at the start of a 50-over innings.
“Especially on the pitches out here, it can be difficult to start against spin as it proved.”
Despite a strong start, the level-headed youngster admits the team needs to convert starts into bigger scores to win matches.
The Sevenoaks Vine batsman said: “It was gutting to lose from the position we were in. Those of us, including myself, hold some responsibility for that.
“We have to learn from it and we’ve worked on specific shots against spin in the nets all winter. Ideally, we needed someone to go on and get 80 or 100 to see us home.”
Incoming assistant coach Allan Donald has made an impression on the youngster.
“Allan has brought an intensity to the squad and he demands a lot from us, especially in the field.
“He’s very keen on bringing a buzz and an energy to our fielding – hopefully we can keep building on that.”