Zak Crawley takes break from first-class cricket following England axe

Zak Crawley has put his first-class career on pause after opting to sit out Kent's next two County Championship fixtures. The decision comes after he failed to reach 50 in their first six matches of the season. a run of low scores which contributed to him losing his place in England's Test side.

Crawley was England's third-highest run-scorer in the Ashes this winter. paid the price for his failure to score runs consistently, as reflected by his overall Test average of 31.18. Rob Key, England's managing director, conceded that there had been a "lack of consequence for poor performance" in March. Crawley was the fall guy, losing his spot to Durham's Emilio Gay.

Crawley struggled badly in Kent's opening run of Championship fixtures. scoring 226 runs at 20.54 across 12 innings with a top score of 44. He has fared slightly better in the T20 Blast, hitting a match-winning 75 not out in 41 balls against Sussex last month,. Kent announced on Thursday that he would not play in their next two Championship games.

"After discussions between Zak Crawley, the player group, coaching staff. the ECB, Crawley will be rested for the next two County Championship fixtures," Kent said. "This period will allow him to recharge so he can fully commit. 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."

ESPNcricinfo has learned that Crawley is also set to be appointed captain at Sunrisers Leeds for the Hundred. with his team-mate Harry Brook agreeing with the franchise that he should play without the burden of captaincy this season. Crawley's appointment is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

While Crawley could return to first-class cricket later in the summer. his decision leaves open the possibility that he will specialise as a white-ball player for the rest of his career, if he deems a Test recall to be unlikely.