Zak Crawley

A natural batsman, Zak Crawley is an English professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He has represented England in both Test and One Day International cricket. Crawley is a top-order batsman who has been dubbed a “natural stroke maker” and “very strong” technically. In November 2019, he earned his England debut in the second Test match of England’s tour of New Zealand. He was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 2021 edition of the almanack after scoring 267 runs in 2020.

Crawley made his senior debut for Kent against Essex in the 2017 Royal London Cup at Canterbury in May 2017. In August of that year, he made his first-class debut for Kent against the visiting West Indians at the 166th Canterbury Cricket Week, hitting 62 runs in his opening first-class innings, before making his County Championship debut at the end of the same month.

In 2020, Crawley’s 267 against Pakistan became the second-highest maiden century by an England batsman in Test cricket, behind R. E. Foster’s 287, and he became England’s third-youngest double centurion. Crawley was named to the England squad for the July 2021 series against the visiting Pakistanis. In the first match of the series, he made his ODI debut, striking an undefeated half-century. Crawley achieved his second Test century in 2022 during the first match of the West Indies tour, and cricket legend Viv Richards described him as “a magnificent player” after his innings of 121.