Head coach Adam Hollioake thinks it’s only a matter of time before “world-class” Kent batsman Zak Crawley starts scoring centuries again.
Crawley, 27, had made just 32 runs for Kent from his first three innings of the summer before a much-needed 58 in their eight-wicket County Championship Division 2 home win against Middlesex on Sunday.
Chasing what appeared a difficult second-innings total of 316, Crawley set the platform before Tawanda Muyeye (125 not out) and opener Ben Compton (124 not out) shared an unbroken 225-run stand.
“His confidence is high already,” said Hollioake. “I’ve been seeing how he’s hitting them in training and he’s smashing them.
“I know the optics of it from a spectator’s perspective is he’s not in good form because maybe he hasn’t got the runs he deserves.
“But one thing I do know is Middlesex weren’t enjoying running up, bowling to him. He’s a big presence at the crease and banging fours off balls, which other people were struggling with throughout the whole game.
“So, he’s a world-class player and it’s just a matter of time before he bangs away a couple of hundreds.”
Hollioake admitted the sort of conversations he has around how to improve his players’ game are very different when he speaks to Crawley, who has 53 international Test caps, to when he talks to Kent’s more inexperienced players.
Hollioake said: “I don’t leave anyone to anything. That would be suggesting that I’m not doing my job as coach. We’re always seeing how we can improve all the players.
“But with Zak, he’s played 50 Test matches so he’s an experienced player. The conversations might be slightly different to what they are with a Jas Singh, who’s playing his first couple of first-class matches.
“With Zak, we’re just collaborating together to try and problem solve how we can get his game into the best shape that it can be.”
Zimbabwe-born Muyeye, 24, could also soon join Crawley in the England squad, as well as the county one.
“He’s outstanding,” Muyeye said. “I don’t know why he cops so much flak but, watching him bat on Sunday, you’re just like ‘Goodness gracious, how good are you?!’. He’s just so good.
“When he goes out batting like that, it just makes everyone feel confident and it’s because of him I think we started chasing the 300 on the front foot. Without him being there, who knows what could have happened?
“I guess he just kind of took the sting out of the chase.”
Overseas South African bowler Keith Dudgeon has left Kent.
The 29-year-old earned eight wickets on debut against Northamptonshire, including best first-class figures of 7-36 in the second innings.
But the right-armer injured his knee ahead of the Middlesex match and, after scans and advice from specialists, will now undergo rehabilitation work back in South Africa.
Kent return to red-ball action against Gloucestershire at Canterbury from Friday.
Meanwhile, Spitfires’ skipper Sam Billings made an unbeaten 50 from just 19 balls in Lahore Qalandars’ 79-run Pakistan Super League success over Quetta Gladiators on Sunday.
