00:01Zach Crawley arrived at Canterbury before sunrise, carrying the weight of a difficult
00:08summer and an even harder conversation. England's decision to leave him out of the New Zealand
00:16series had already reached the dressing room. Rob Key believed Crawley had sensed the outcome
00:23was coming for weeks, especially after failing to produce convincing form for Kent at the
00:30start of the county championship season this year. Rob Key felt batters had secured their
00:37places after the Ashes in Australia and viewed Ben Duckett's successful return as the standard
00:45and Crawley had been expected to follow that, while Crawley had not managed that response
00:52after Australia, Key remained convinced the opener still possesses the temperament and
00:59character to rebuild his England career. Those around the squad expected him to absorb the
01:07disappointment calmly and use it as motivation going forward.
01:13Former England captain Michael Atherton considered the omission inevitable after Crawley's extended
01:20run in the side. Although the opener had accumulated 64 test appearances, Atherton believed his average
01:28of 31 no longer justified selection. England have delayed the decision for as long as possible
01:36now, but change had eventually become inevitable for Zach Crawley, who will be looking to bounce
01:42back in the future.
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