Despite England being in a favorable position to win the first Test, a series of questionable decisions allowed the Australians to seize victory in the final hours of the fifth day, giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.
While the English media attributed the defeat to the risky style of play known as “Bazball,” England coach Brendon McCullum and his team remained defiant, reaffirming their commitment to their approach and refusing to make any alterations for anyone.
Crawley acknowledged that the Bazball approach helped mitigate the impact of a loss but firmly believed that a significant victory awaits England at Lord’s, citing the pitch as a favorable factor. Talking about records while playing at the lord’s, England has 40% winning which is less than Australia’s 43%.
Speaking on Times Radio, he expressed his optimism, saying, “I think we’ll win. I think the pitch will suit us a bit more, so I think we’ll win by, I don’t know, 150 runs?” Last time, these two teams came head to head at lord’s, the match ended in a draw.
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Crawley further emphasized that the team’s primary objective is to entertain, stating, “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.” While winning contributes to their brand and overall objectives, Crawley believes that the team hasn’t lost anything significant apart from a single game of cricket.