Only a week after celebrating Bazball for chasing a record 371-run target at Headingley, England cricket pundits are in a meltdown. India humiliated England by 336 runs in the IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test to not only level the series but also win their first Test at the venue. Former England captain, who called Gautam Gambhir rubbish earlier, has come down hard on England, especially Zak Crawley and Chris Woakes. He has called Crawley’s dismissals awful and Woakes past his sell-by date.
Crawley scored 19 and a duck in IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test after 4 and 65 in Leeds. With just a 31.11 average after 56 Tests, Crawley’s records have been sub-par to hold on to the opening slot. Yet, England have continued to back him. Chris Woakes troubled Indian batters on occasions but managed just 3 wickets in four innings at an average of 96.66 and a strike rate of 164.00.
“Nobody wants to see wholesale changes or chopping and changing all the time. But when guys have had lots of chances and not really done it, then it is time to freshen up. It is counterproductive to keep the same guys in the team when they are past their sell-by date or not doing enough,” Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column on The Telegraph.
Since the start of 2022, Zak Crawley is averaging just 21 when seamers pitch the ball up to him in Test cricket. No batter to face 100 full deliveries in that time averages less than England's opening batter. pic.twitter.com/Dhd3WwHqki
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 5, 2025Time’s up for Zak Crawley?
Crawley has scored just five centuries in his 56-match Test career. In away Tests, his two centuries have come against the West Indies and Pakistan — both are not strong Test opponents. In India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, he never scored a century, averaging just 25.38 after playing 19 matches. Among all the Test openers with over 2500 runs, he has the lowest average of 30.3. Out of 102 innings, he has been dismissed for a single-digit score 42 times. After Michael Vaughan called Crawley the luckiest cricketer, Boycott also criticised his dismissals in IND vs ENG Edgbaston Test.
“The two shots he got out to at Edgbaston were awful. In the first innings his feet got stuck in cement, neither forward nor back, and then he wafted at the ball to be caught at slip. In the second innings, he batted on off stump and drove at a well-pitched up ball two feet wide. He did not need to play it. He was on nought, had been fielding for five sessions, and his legs were tired, so he should have been thinking about surviving that evening,” Geoffrey Boycott wrote in his column on Crawley.
Vaughan wants Crawley to learn from Shubman Gill. India’s new Test captain averaged 35 before the England tour. But with scores of 147, 8, 269 and 161, he has turned the tide, taking his batting average to 42.72.
Chris Woakes past his sell-by date?
England depend a lot on Chris Woakes, not just for his bowling, but also for his batting. Woakes played a crucial 38-run knock in Leeds, helping close the gap in the first innings. But he could not put India under the pump. But it was not a one-off. In the last 12 months, the 36-year-old has not only struggled with injuries but also his returns. In 11 Tests that he played in the last 12 months, Woakes has bagged just 35 wickets at an average of 30.31. He hasn’t had a fifer since July 2023 against Australia.
“Look at Chris Woakes. His pace is dropping as you would expect as a seamer gets older. He has never been a wicket-taker abroad, where his record is poor. He is good – or has been good – on English pitches. His batting has been handy at times as a safety valve when others have failed. His job should not be to shore up bad batting. Batsmen are there to score runs and bowlers need to take wickets,” Boycott wrote.
Jacob Bethell for Zak Crawley?
The 21-year-old Jacob Bethell is considered a long-term prospect. In three Tests in New Zealand, Bethell scored 260 runs at an average of 52, including three half-centuries, batting at No 3. Boycott wants England to prepare him as a replacement for Crawley and play in the County Championship as an opener to gain experience.
“Rob Key, the director of cricket, the head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes should have been thinking ahead and, before the season, told Jacob Bethell not to play in the IPL and ask Warwickshire if they would help England by playing him as an opener in Championship matches. Give him a little experience in that position and then pick him in the England team. I have first-hand experience of such a situation,” Boycott wrote.
Bethell is in the England squad for the IND vs ENG Lord’s Test. While England’s coach and captain duo of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes do not change combinations quickly, Bethell will be in their discussions. The IND vs ENG Test series is currently at 1-1.
Awful, past sell-by Geoffrey Boycott tears into Zak Crawley, Chris Woakes after Edgbaston humiliation Inside Sport India.
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