‘I think we’ll win by 150 runs’ - Zak Crawley makes bold prediction ahead of second Ashes Test

After suffering a two-wicket defeat in the first match of the Ashes 2023, England will be aiming to bounce back stronger and make a significant impact at Lord’s, where the second Test will be played from june 28. Notably, the Ben Stokes-led side was heavily criticised by some after an early declaration on Day 1 of the Edgbaston Test. Meanwhile, Zak Crawley has made it clear that the team wants to score enough runs this time around so that the home team doesn’t face difficulty to restrict Australia.

The England opener also added that the main goal of the team is to entertain the fans as they don’t think much about winning or losing. Crawley also went on to add that the team is aiming to pull off a massive victory and eventually predicted that they want to win by 150 runs.

“I think we’ll win (at Lord’s). I think the pitch will suit us a bit more so I think we’ll win by, I don’t know, 150 runs? We’re not about results. We’re not about winning or losing, we’re about entertainment. That’s why we took [this loss] better than other losses perhaps, because it was great for the game. Of course, we’re there to win and it helps our brand and what we’re trying to do. If we win, we get more traction. But I don’t think we’ve lost anything this week other than a game of cricket,” the 25-year-old said while talking to Times Radio.

Crawley expects more sledging and banter in remaining matches

Ollie Robinson’s aggressive send-off to Usman Khawaja was one of the most talked about subjects in the past week. Former players like Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting have condemned the act but as per Zak Crawley, more such incidents may occur in the remaining matches. He however clarified that there’s no bad blood between players but everyone is very competitive on the field.

“At Lord’s, with a little bit more of a quiet hum, you might hear a bit more. In general, they’re good fellas, we’re good fellas. I think as the series goes on there’s going to be a few incidents, maybe, that will cause a bit of niggle and it’ll get more and more. Everyone’s extremely competitive on an individual level and obviously on the team level. I’m sure by the fifth match, there’ll be some niggle,” Crawley mentioned.