Zak Crawley Shines in Ashes 2025 After Tough Start

Zak Crawley, the England opener, is currently participating in the Ashes 2025 series, showcasing his skills after a rocky start. With a strong performance in the second Test, he has established himself as a key player for England. Crawley reflects on his cricketing heroes, including Ricky Ponting and Kevin Pietersen, and shares his journey since debuting in 2019. His impressive statistics and resilience highlight his importance in the team. Read on to learn more about his contributions and aspirations in the ongoing series.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 4, 2025, 14:12 IST

Zak Crawley in the Ashes 2025 Series

England's opener, Zak Crawley, is currently competing in the ongoing Ashes 2025 series, with the second Test, a Pink Ball match, taking place at The Gabba in Brisbane. This marks Crawley's third Ashes series, having first participated in 2021/22 when he was called back for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Crawley's Journey in International Cricket

Crawley made his Test debut for England against New Zealand in 2019 and has since played in both Test matches and ODIs. At 27 years old, he has established himself as a key opener in the Test format, although his ODI appearances have been limited to just 8 matches, where he scored 199 runs.

Over the past six years, Crawley has emerged as one of England's promising openers, consistently delivering important innings and solidifying his role in the Test squad.

Inspiration Behind Zak Crawley's Cricketing Career

Every international cricketer draws inspiration from past legends, and Crawley is no exception. As a child, he idolized former Australian captain and batting icon Ricky Ponting.

In a 2020 interview on the Changing Room Chat podcast, Crawley praised Ponting as an 'unbelievable player.' He stated, 'Ricky Ponting was my idol as a kid. I admired how he played despite not being very tall. He was an exceptional player.'

As he transitioned into his teenage years, Crawley shifted his admiration from Ponting to Kevin Pietersen, recognizing the former England captain as 'one of the greatest ever' for his skill and fearless approach at the crease.

'Fortunately, I grew quite a bit around the age of 15, so I stopped emulating Ponting and started looking up to Kevin Pietersen as one of the best players I've ever seen,' Crawley remarked. 'He possesses immense skill and flair, and we all aspire to bat like him.'

Crawley's Performance Statistics

Since his Test debut in 2019, Zak Crawley has accumulated 3,389 runs, including 5 centuries and 20 fifties, with an average of 31.37 across 61 matches.

Crawley's Comeback After a Tough Start

Zak Crawley faced a challenging beginning to the Ashes 2025 series, scoring a duck in both innings of the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, making him only the fourth England opener to achieve a 'pair' in an Ashes Test.

However, he rebounded in the second Test's first innings by scoring his first fifty of the series against Australia. After early wickets fell, including Ben Duckett (0) and Ollie Pope (0), leaving England at 5/2, Crawley and Joe Root stabilized the innings.

The duo formed a crucial 117-run partnership for the third wicket before Crawley was dismissed at 122/3. He played a commendable innings of 76 runs off 93 balls before being out by Michael Neser, which helped stabilize England's innings after a shaky start.

Crawley's Ashes Record

Zak Crawley boasts a solid record in the Ashes, having scored 722 runs, including one century and four fifties, with an average of 40.11 across 10 matches.