Brendon McCullum is standing by Zak Crawley after the opener’s pair in Perth and has challenged the rest of England’s batters to play with sharper conviction in the second Test. Australia’s eight-wicket victory, sealed inside two days, came largely off the back of Travis Head’s brisk 123, a knock McCullum highlighted as the template for an assertive yet calculated approach.
Head breezed through what had looked a tricky chase of 205, finishing the job in just 28.2 overs. His 20 boundaries – four of them sixes clearing Optus Stadium’s long square rope – underlined the point. England’s quicks, who had threatened to tip the match their way on day one, suddenly looked short of ideas as Head controlled the tempo.
“Credit to Head, he judged length quickly and never let the bowlers settle,” said a member of England’s back-room staff afterwards. That cameo also brought the first opening-stand runs of the Test, after the first ball of the previous three innings had produced ducks. Crawley supplied two of them, both courtesy of Mitchell Starc, while debutant Jake Weatherald fended off Jofra Archer’s bumper barrage to post 23 for Australia.
For Crawley, it was a bruising two days. A loose waft outside off in his first visit was followed by a half-checked push in his second, Starc diving forward at mid-off to complete the dismissal. With those twin blobs, Crawley became the first England opener to register a pair in an Ashes Test since Mike Atherton at Melbourne in 1998.
The 27-year-old had been earmarked as an X-factor pick for Australian pitches, and Ben Stokes has championed him from day one of his captaincy. Yet the overall returns remain muddled: Crawley averages 32.26 since January 2022 and sits perilously close to dropping below 30 across his career.
McCullum, though, doubled down on his faith. “We believe he is a quality player,” McCullum said, when asked if Crawley was undroppable. “Particularly in these conditions against this sort of opposition. How many balls did he face? 10 or 11? He got out cheaply, but we believe in Zak.
“He’s been around this group for a long time, he’s done really well. The combination with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has allowed us to enter games as best as we think we can. And I’d expect to see a strong bounce-back from Zak in the next little while. Sometimes you get out early, right? It would have been nice if he hadn’t. But that’s life. If he can get going, he can do some damage.”
The head coach’s stance mirrors one he first voiced last winter – that Crawley is “not picked to be a consistent player”, rather a batter capable of tilting matches quickly. The numbers only half-support the theory. Crawley’s 2023 Ashes haul was indeed England’s highest, and he topped their charts on the recent tour of India, yet substantial innings often sit among short-lived flurries. Only three England players have more Test ducks since his debut; none of them has faced fewer balls to reach the list.
England’s team balance means alternatives are thin on the ground. Ollie Pope, returning from a shoulder operation, has not opened in first-class cricket for four years. Keaton Jennings is in Australia as a reserve but has not played competitive cricket since September. The selectors see value in sticking rather than twisting just one Test into a five-match series, especially when the middle order also misfired.
Joe Root’s airy drive at Josh Hazlewood and Ben Stokes’ skied hook left England marooned, only Jonny Bairstow’s punchy 58 giving the bowlers a defendable target. McCullum felt a collective hesitancy crept in, contrasting sharply with Head’s clarity.
“We talk a lot about intent,” the New Zealander said in a radio interview. “Intent isn’t slogging every ball; it’s making decisive movements, trusting your method. Head showed that. Too many of our dismissals were half-measures.”
Former England opener Mark Butcher offered a similar view on television. “They looked caught between wanting to attack and worrying about the extra bounce,” he noted. “Perth punishes uncertainty.”
The quick turnaround to Adelaide, a day-night Test starting Friday, leaves little room for dramatic changes. The pink ball is expected to nip under lights, and England may rotate the seamers, with Ollie Robinson pushing for a start after impressive warm-up form. Crawley, however, appears certain to retain his spot.
Australia, meanwhile, have fitness concerns of their own. Usman Khawaja’s back spasms, which forced Head to open, will be monitored, though Head’s success offers a ready-made contingency. Pat Cummins praised his deputy’s adaptability: “Trav loves the hard new ball. He’s uncomplicated – sees it, hits it – and that can be gold on these wickets.”
As for England, the mandate from the coach is straightforward: trust the process, but do it with purpose. Perth may have been a jolt, yet the series is only one-nil. Crawley’s next innings could define the tone.
“Zak knows his game,” McCullum concluded. “Our job is to keep the noise down, give him licence, and make sure the rest of us walk out with the same conviction.”
