England Test opener Zak Crawley has earned an ODI call-up for the first time since December 2023, having been selected for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
Crawley made his ODI debut in 2019, but his appearances in the format have been limited, with only eight games played in the last six years, the latest of which was over two years ago. In fact, his last ODI was also his last List A game. Crawley has scored 199 runs at 28.42, with two fifties and a high score of 58* from his eight ODIs.
The 27-year-old also captained a second-string team against Ireland in September 2023. England won the three-match series 1-0, with two abandoned games.
Why Zak Crawley has earned an ODI call-up against Sri Lanka?
Crawley's inclusion in England's ODI squad comes after Jamie Smith, who opened in England’s most recent series, against New Zealand in November, was dropped from the squad. Smith averages 21.77 after 19 ODIs, but made only 18 across three games against New Zealand last month. It meant he was ignored for the Sri Lanka ODIs, leaving a spot vacant for an opener at the top of the order.
Crawley has seemingly entered England’s white-ball plans, after also getting a maiden T20I call-up for the New Zealand series earlier in the year. It came after a successful run in the Hundred this year, where he scored 280 runs at an average of 40, along with a strike rate of 160. He did not play a game against New Zealand, however.
England have had eight different opening pairs since January 2023, with eight players batting at the position across 47 games. While Ben Duckett has sealed his spot, he has opened with five batters as England look to identify their openers for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Crawley’s selection could be another experiment in that regard.
England squad for Sri Lanka ODIs
Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Luke Wood.
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