The England man has eschewed social media so far, but will not be short of offers to increase his profile and earnings nowThere was a mildly jarring moment during the second day of Zak Crawley’s sublime 267 against Pakistan when Wasim Akram, on commentary for Sky, joked about how excited it would make Neil Fairbrother. Fairbrother is the agent to a number of England’s cricketers and Crawley is among them; the point being that the youngster’s arrival on the Test stage with such a dreamy performance will see his commercial value skyrocket. Related: Zak Crawley's huge double-century lifts England and floors Pakistan Related: Mature Jos Buttler quietly plays the innings of his life for England | Jonathan Liew Continue reading...
England’s most flamboyant batsman has finally come of age as a Test player after making an uncharacteristic, patient 152As a warm and windswept afternoon wound down, the fun and games could begin. The pitch was behaving, there were more than enough runs on the board, Pakistan’s attack were beaten and broken, and with Jos Buttler settled and comfortable the big shots could come out. The devastating reverse sweep. The disdainful ramp over the shoulder. The beefy off-side punch. Only there was something strange. Buttler wasn’t the one playing any of these shots at all.Instead, in a curious reversal of roles it was Zak Crawley, the new crown prince of English batting, who was flaying Pakistan to all parts with a...
Whoever was batting against Pakistan on day four, every delivery looked as if it might be his lastThere was a sadistic pleasure to be had for an old pro from the brief moments of play at the Rose Bowl. At the start of the England innings every other delivery seemed unplayable. The floodlights reflected brightly on the shiny, wine-dark Dukes ball and the pitch retained sufficient moisture to provide the most treacherous stage for opening batsmen.The ball swung in the air for Shaheen Afridi, then it kissed the turf and decided to change direction; Mohammad Abbas, wobbling the seam down the track in the modern way, appeared to be bowling fast leg-breaks. From the sofa this was mesmerising entertainment. Every...
The batsman’s comeback fell flat but hope springs eternal as Fawad hit a century in the second innings of his debut in 2009They say the best things in life are worth waiting for. Fawad Alam’s innings in the second Test probably wasn’t one of them – unless, that is, you happen to have a particularly black sense of humour. Poor Fawad won the last of his Test caps in November 2009. Ten years, eight months, 17 days and 8,348 first-class runs later he was finally back, walking out to the middle at the Rose Bowl with his team 117 for four, Stuart Broad bowling at one end, Chris Woakes the other. He blocked one ball, left the next, played and...
Following England’s win over Pakistan via patchy wifi was thrilling and a reminder that the game has often been enjoyed from a distanceI spent last week in Shropshire, where my family and a few others had clubbed together to hire out Wilderhope Manor, the wonderful and historic National Trust property and youth hostel whose splendour and all-round magnificence must make it among the most unlikely places in the country to find creaky bunk beds, rubberised mattresses, shared toilets and bargain accommodation.Despite its antiquity the property is equipped with many modern conveniences including wifi, the only problem being that the modem is housed in a cafeteria that was locked for the duration of our stay, and the signal stubbornly refused to...