Chappell says Ashes 2021-22 will see a duel between rival No. 3s Labuschagne and Crawley.
Former Australian captain and cricket expert Ian Chappell has heaped praise on England’s latest batting sensation Zak Crawley, saying the young gun is ideal to be the number three batsman for the Three Lions in the Test cricket, given his natural attacking instincts.
Chappell’s came after Crawley amassed 320 runs in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan, including a record-breaking double hundred (267) in the final Test in Southampton and became the third-youngest Englishman to hit a Test double in the longest format of the.
In the final Test, the 22-year old also shared a stand of 359 with Jos Buttler to help England to put a mammoth total of 583/8 to win the home series 1-0 against Pakistan.
Well, the Aussie great admitted that England is yet to solve their opening quandary, but said they have a potentially strong and dangerous middle-order comprising Crawley, Joe Root, and Ben Stokes.
He further claimed the next Ashes series would offer cricket fans a mouthwatering battle between Marnus Labuschagne and Kent’s Crawley for number three batsmen in the Test cricket.
Chappell wrote in his column for ESPNCricinfo: “Crawley is ideally suited to fill England’s needs at No. 3 with his natural attacking instincts. England is yet to solve its opening puzzle but Crawley, Root, and Ben Stokes comprise a potentially strong and dangerous middle order. An upcoming Ashes series featuring a duel between rival No. 3s Labuschagne and Crawley promises a more glamorous future – one befitting the importance of the position.”
He further added, “Labuschagne and Crawley like to make their mark early, establishing superiority with energetic running and audacious shot-making. Their motto appears to be: Let’s win this game quickly.”
Noteworthy, Crawley has so far played eight Tests for England, managing to score 581 runs, with his highest score being 267 against Pakistan, while Labuschagne has so far played 14 Tests for Australia and scored 1459 runs with his highest Test score of 215 against New Zealand in Sydney this year.