After England opener Zak Crawley was dismissed for just 16 in the first innings of the fifth and last Test of the Ashes 2025-26 tour at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday, former England captain Michael Vaughan said he was frustrated by the opener.
Vaughan said Crawley “frustrates the life out of me.” However, the former England cricketer also believes that England should continue with the lanky opener.
“Zak Crawley frustrates the life out of me. His concentration levels are not the strongest. If you go to the start of the series where he played the big booming drives, those drives have gone away now. He’s not chasing the ball outside off stump,” said Vaughan to BBC’s Test Match Special podcast.
“But today I was watching him and that should not get you out as a quality opening batter,” said Vaughan, critical of Crawley’s batting.
Heading into the Sydney Test, Crawley entered as England’s leading run-scorer in a series that has been a really tough one for the tourists. Crawley changed his technique for the final Test, shifting his guard across the stumps. He was dismissed leg before wickets while playing across a straight ball from Michael Neser.
“He looks such a good player – and then just gets out,” said Vaughan. “The ball that got him out should not have got him out. It was just a ball which nipped back slightly and he played it too square on the on side. There must be something in his concentration.”
Still, Vaughan believes England should continue with Crawley in future.
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“I hear fans around the world saying Crawley averages 30, but there’s a bigger average in him than he’s giving at the moment,” said Vaughan. “It’s just concentration. I know there is a lot more in the tank and I do think England have to stay with him. The movement he had today was fantastic but he needs to understand the concentration levels required at this kind of level to go on and average 40 to 45 over the course of the next two or three years. I think he could do if he can find that concentration,” he said.
