‘He has made match-defining contributions’ - Rob Key explains reason behind backing Zak Crawley as team's opener

England will kickstart their summer with a one-off Test match against Ireland at Lord’s cricket ground in London. This Test match is seen as a perfect practice match for the English side before they gear up for the Ashes series that is scheduled to start on June 16 at Edgbaston. England will be playing Australia in a five-match series and hence, the Ireland Test match will be important when preparations are concerned.

Amid all the planning, the English Cricket Board is being criticized for persisting with Zak Crawley despite the opening batter failing to cement his spot in the squad after being given multiple chances. Rob Key, the managing director of the England Men's team, said that the opening spot is a special position and Crawley and Ben Duckett have constructed crucial partnerships in the past.

"Opening is a specialist position and we like that partnership as they have impacted games. Even if Zak hasn't got the weight of runs, he has had match-winning contributions,” Key told Sky Sports.

Zak can easily put bowlers under strain on any given day: Key

The 44-year-old also went on to defend the English opener by recalling one of the crucial knocks that Crawley played against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui earlier this year when he, alongside Duckett stitched a match-defining partnership. The former England player also pointed out that only the likes of Rishi Patel, Michael Jones, and Ben Compton among the openers have scored more runs in County Championship than Crawley. 

“No matter who the bowlers are the 25-year-old can easily put bowlers under strain on any given day. It's not about applying pressure to county bowlers. It's about applying pressure to some of the best bowlers in the world, like Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins,” Key added.

The Kent-born opener hasn’t had the best of career so far in the longest format of the game, scoring just 1656 runs in the 33 Test matches with an unimpressive average of 27.60. Also, clearing the air about Ben Stokes, Key said that the red-ball skipper will remain in the middle order, Crawley and Duckett will remain the team's openers, and Bairstow will be replacing Ben Foakes as the wicketkeeper-batter.