Crawley to join Lions tour of Australia

Kent opener Zak Crawley will join up with county teammate Ollie Robinson and the rest of the England Lions squad for the red-ball leg of their tour of Australia.

The right-hander was named in the original Lions squad before Christmas, with his situation monitored over recent weeks as his playing time with the senior team increased.

Crawley starred in England’s series win over South Africa, coming into the team for the injured Rory Burns in Cape Town, and celebrated his first Test half-century in Johannesburg this week.

ECB Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said: “Following conversations with the players, England coaches, National Selectors and the counties we have agreed that Dom [Sibley], Zak and Dom [Bess] will travel to Australia with the Lions as planned.

“It has been great to see them performing so well in the Test arena and the Lions tour is an opportunity for them to continue their development in international cricket, gaining experience in a wider range of conditions.

“This will not only allow them to hone their skills on Australian wickets for future Ashes series, but is also a chance to continue the form with selection for England’s Sri Lanka tour on the horizon.”

Crawley will depart for Sydney with the rest of the Lions’ red-ball squad on Friday, 7 February.

The Lions have three four-day matches on the schedule – one against a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart (15-18 Feb), a day/night match against Australia A at the MCG (22-25 Feb) and a third against a New South Wales XI at Wollongong (2-5 Mar).

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