‘I don't care anyway’ - Zak Crawley ponders over social media hate after Test selection ahead of Ashes 2023

Ahead of the much anticipated Ashes series, England will be taking on Ireland for a one-off Test at Lord's, which is scheduled to begin from June 1. With the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) still looking for possible combinations that they could field against Australia, the side announced the selection of opener Zak Crawley in the squad for the Ireland Test.

The 25-year-old has experienced a career of ups and downs. He was first called up to the national team in 2019, and despite some good performances here and there, Crawley hasn’t been able to become an integral member of England’s Test squad. In the 33 Test matches that he has played for England, Crawley has managed to score 1'656 runs.

With the announcement of his selection in the team for the Ireland Test, Crawley was subjected to a lot of online abuse from fans. However, the 25-year-old recently came forward and opined that he does not care about online hate and that not being on social media helps him block out the outside noise. 

"I never see any of that [online criticism], I talk to guys who do have social media, and they see that. They see Joe Bloggs having a go at them. [Being off] social media helps me get away from the average punter and what they have to say, which, of course, I don't care anyway," Crawley told BBC Sport.

I was getting a lot of scrutiny, some of it unwarranted: Crawley

Furthermore, Crawley also reflected on the scrutiny that he received over subpar performances and how he felt that some of it was unwarranted. In the County Championship in 2023, Crawley has 350 runs to his name with an average of 130.88.

"Obviously, I definitely still see the pundits and the people higher up in cricket, and of course, I didn't have to read the papers to know my place was under scrutiny, I haven't been getting the runs I should have, but I have had a few good knocks," Crawley said.