Zak Crawley declared that he is fully fit for England’s opener in Pakistan but the situation for the captain, Ben Stokes, is less certain
Captain may not be ready for Monday’s start in MultanZak Crawley declared that he is fully fit and “back with a new hunger” after missing the second half of England’s Test summer with a broken finger but the extent to which Ben Stokes has recovered from the torn hamstring that forced him to miss the series against Sri Lanka is less certain, with the captain participating only briefly in the team’s first training session in Pakistan.
Crawley said Stokes “seems to be going well, recovering well” but that “we don’t know just yet” if he will be able to play in the opening game of the series, which starts in Multan on Monday. “I think he’s got to do a few more tests,” the opener added.
Though Crawley was unable to pick up a bat until mid-September England were confident enough of his ability to return at the top of the batting order to leave Dan Lawrence, who replaced him against Sri Lanka,. “It’s as good as it could be at this stage,” Crawley said of his injury, a fractured little finger on his right hand sustained while fielding at slip against West Indies in July.
Crawley spent much of his time away from the game following it on television, and has returned from his spell on the sidelines with motivation refuelled. “It shows how much this means to me, how much I love playing for England,” he said. “I’ve come back with a new hunger for sure. I feel like I’ve got a lot of energy. No one wants any time out and I wouldn’t choose to do it again, but I’ve taken some positives from it for sure.
That energy is likely to be severely tested, with Multan on Friday presenting an extraordinary contrast to the rain-sodden, frigid conditions in which England’s home summerfive days earlier: the only downpours here came when batters poured sweat from their helmets as they emerged from the nets. “It’s hot but it’s much tougher in training than it is in games,” Crawley said. “You’re facing a ball every 15 seconds, which is the main reason we’re sweating so much.
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