England opener Zak Crawley's difficult Ashes tour took another humiliating turn on day four in Adelaide, as he was roundly booed by Australian supporters following a transparent and unsuccessful attempt at playing mind games with home captain Pat Cummins.
A Desperate Stalling Tactic Backfires
With the lunch break approaching and desperate to survive the session, the under-pressure Crawley, 27, deliberately stalled play. His chosen method was some exaggerated last-minute 'gardening' on the pitch, scuffing the surface unnecessarily. In a brilliant and subtle retort, Australian skipper Pat Cummins responded by pretending to tie up his shoelaces, drawing a laugh from the crowd.
Not deterred, Crawley then seized his next opportunity, pulling away from a delivery at the very last moment as Cummins ran in. The Australian paceman laughed it off, returned to his mark, and then produced a superb delivery that Crawley was extremely fortunate not to edge.
Crowd Reaction and Social Media Storm
The contrasting receptions for the two players told the story. While Cummins was cheered from the field by the home fans, Crawley was targeted with loud boos as he walked off for lunch, punished by the Adelaide Oval crowd for his perceived gamesmanship.
The incident quickly ignited debate on social media platform X. One user criticised the England batter, stating, "Umpires should be telling Crawley, cut the BS, play or get suspended." Another simply observed, "Pat Cummins is winning this (mind games)." A third praised the Australian captain's response: "Cummins never expresses his anger through his words or body language, he lets it fuel his performance! Absolute legend."
A Nightmare Tour and Broader England Concerns
The embarrassing episode caps a miserable series for Crawley. He made a pair of ducks in the Perth Test before scoring 76 and 44 in Brisbane. With Australia needing only a draw in Adelaide to retain the Ashes urn, England's hopes are hanging by a thread.
Crawley's place for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne is now under serious threat. In 61 Test matches, he averages just over 31, leading many pundits to suggest his confidence far outstrips his output. Critics argue the same could be said for several of his teammates, including Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, and Brydon Carse, as England stare down another Ashes defeat on Australian soil.
