England cricket legend Alastair Cook wants Zak Crawley to be dropped in favour of Harry Brook

Zak Crawley walks off the ground after losing his wicket on day 3 of the first Test match between England and South Africa. Pic/ AFP

Former England skipper Sir Alastair Cook has asked the team management to give opener Zak Crawley a break from cricket following a lean summer and called for Harry Brook to replace him at the top of the order.

Crawley has been going through a prolonged form slump at the top, with the 24-year-old opener managing just nine and 13 against the Proteas in the opening Test at Lord's, which England lost by an innings and 12 runs inside three days. The right-hand batter has yet to score a half-century for his country from 10 innings this summer.

Cook on Sunday called for Crawley to be dropped as the opener has scored just 164 runs at an average of 16.40 in five Tests.

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"In my view it is time for Zak Crawley to be given a break from the team. He has had a lot of backing, and we have all seen the potential in his game that excites so many people," Cook, the highest run-getter for England in Tests along with 33 centuries, wrote in his column for the Times.

"He (Crawley) has got some world-class areas -- if people bowl slightly short he will punish them, and he possesses a great drive -- but I don't think he quite knows how he wants to play. What is telling too is that his first-class record is not blessed with big hundreds either, which suggests that he needs to re-evaluate which shots he wants to stick to, and how he's going to consistently score runs," opined Cook.

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Cook also felt Test coach Brendon McCullum should look at Harry Brook as a top-order option to replace Crawley, although the 23-year-old's best batting exploits have come in the middle order for Yorkshire.

"It's horrible when you're out of form. It affects everything. You start searching for the magic answer, and there isn't one. If someone else is to move in, I'd go for Harry Brook. He has been scoring his runs at No. 5 but he is in great form and has opened the batting in the past.

"It's not ideal, but he's a man of serious talent and potential, and deserves a shot, not only because of the runs he's scored but the aggressive manner in which he's made them. I think he could do it," added Cook.

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