Zak Crawley takes break from red-ball cricket, set to be announced Sunrisers Leeds’ captain

Outcast England opener Zak Crawley has decided to take a break from First-Class cricket and has been rested for the two upcoming County Championship games for Kent. This comes after the right-handed batter was dropped for the Test side ahead of the series against New Zealand, with Emilio Gay taking his place and scoring a brilliant half-century on his international debut.

This comes after reports from ESPNcricinfo stating that the 28-year-old is on the verge of being announced as Sunrisers Leeds‘ (formerly Northern Superchargers) captain ahead of The Hundred 2026. Crawley was signed by the new franchise for GBP 180,000 in the inaugural player auction after a stellar campaign last time around, where he scored 280 runs at a strike-rate of 160 for the Northern Superchargers. 

On their website, Kent revealed that the decision to rest Crawley was taken in consultation with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), as the batter remains centrally contracted to his national team. The top-order batter will instead shift his focus towards T20 cricket, with the English summer comprising two separate tournaments in the Blast and The Hundred. 

“After discussions between Zak Crawley, the player group, coaching staff and the ECB, Crawley will be rested for the next two County Championship fixtures. This period will allow him to recharge so he can fully commit and give his all for the remainder of the season, with his immediate focus shifting to T20 cricket through to the end of the Vitality Blast,” Kent Cricket said on their website. 

There has been a growing sentiment in the media that, with his Test cricket looking all but over, Crawley will quit red-ball cricket entirely and apply his talent in limited-overs cricket instead. The former opener has played franchise cricket in the past, having featured in the Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes, and turning out for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20. 

It is worth mentioning that Crawley has also experienced captaining a side, having led England’s ODI side against Ireland in 2023.