Zak Crawley admitted he felt like “part of the team again” after ending his lean patch with one of three England centuries on day one of their Test against Zimbabwe.
The hosts powered to 498 for three on day one at Trent Bridge, the highest ever score on an opening day in this country, with Crawley joining Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in reaching three figures.
Duckett was first and fastest to his ton, an effervescent 140, and Pope finished as top dog with an undefeated 169.
But Crawley’s 124 may well have been the most welcome innings of all in the home dressing room, as he put a worrying spell of form to bed against a limited attack that struggled to exert any pressure at all.
Crawley’s last Test hundred came almost two years ago – a magnificent Ashes knock of 189 at Old Trafford – and his form nosedived to the point of averaging just 8.66 against New Zealand in December.
Captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have been unwavering in their support but he was relieved to give them something to show for it.
“It’s awesome to be backed by two people I respect massively. They obviously think I’m the right man for the job and I have that belief in myself as well,” he said.
“I want to repay that faith. I love being around this team, I love batting and I love scoring runs, especially for my country. You feel part of the team again. You don’t want to feel like you are hanging on.
“You obviously know you’re under pressure and want to score more runs. That stuff bothers you a little bit, but the most annoying thing is not playing well.
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“There are times when you feel like you are playing for your place, I’ve felt like that many times in my career, but it’s a much nicer place to be when you feel like you’re contributing. There’s so many good players in the country now and in this team, you just try to match them and keep up with them.”
Jacob Bethell’s return from the IPL in time for the five-match India series is set to give England selectors a headache, with Crawley and Pope both thought to be vulnerable had they failed to make a mark in Nottingham.
As it stands the pair have made a strong case to retain their shirts.
Asked whether talk around Bethell amplified his nerves, Crawley added: “I can’t speak for Ollie but I certainly don’t feel like that. I love being around this group and when you play for your country you are surrounded by good players so that pressure is going to be coming all the time.
“Throughout my career, from when I was very young, I have always been made a better player by people around me doing well and forcing me to do better. It’s a great thing for our team right now that we have a lot of good players surrounding the team with bat and ball. It’s only going to make us better.”
