Geoffrey Boycott isn’t convinced that England’s Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope have really fixed their technical and mental issues despite their centuries against Zimbabwe. He thinks their real test will come in the upcoming five-Test series against India. Crawley has had a tough time lately, especially in New Zealand where he barely averaged nine runs. Pope also had a mixed year; his excellent 196 in Hyderabad is a standout, but he’s been pretty inconsistent since then.
Boycott wrote in the ‘Daily Telegraph’ that we can’t assume Crawley and Pope have figured things out just because they performed well against Zimbabwe, whose bowling he described as average. England’s top three—Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Pope—all made impressive hundreds, leading to a total of 565/6 declared in their recent victory by an innings and 45 runs.
He said the Zimbabwe bowlers weren’t skilled enough to expose any issues in their batting. The real challenge will be against India’s bowlers, which will give a clearer picture of their development. At 84 years old, Boycott acknowledged the runs should help boost the confidence of England’s top order. He praised their performance but noted it wasn’t a great showcase for Test cricket.
Boycott pointed out that the match felt one-sided, comparing it to a heavyweight boxer facing a flyweight. England took full advantage of a flat pitch and weak bowling from Zimbabwe.
Looking ahead, England will face India on June 20 in a big five-Test series, followed by the Ashes in Australia starting November 21. Boycott expressed concern about England’s bowling heading into the Ashes, pointing out that the seamers were made to look pretty ordinary against a Zimbabwe team he felt was lacking.