Nasser Hussain has criticised England Test coach Brendon McCullum for giving struggling opener Zak Crawley a "cop out" by claiming that "his skillset is not to be a consistent cricketer".
Crawley has endured a lean run of form at the top of the order this summer, managing just 164 runs at an average of 16.40 across five Tests. And former England openers Sir Alastair Cook and Mark Butcher have both called for him to be dropped, with Butcher going as far as to claim that continuing to pick Crawley is becoming "cruel".
However, McCullum has insisted that England will continue to back Crawley, saying: "He's a talent, and there are not too many of those guys floating around. He's still learning his game at this level.
"That will take some patience and persistence. I believe in him, that's for sure. You have to think about the overall package. We have some players that have been put in those positions because they have certain skillsets.
"I look at a guy like Zak and his skillset is not to be a consistent cricketer. He's not that type of player. He's put in that situation because he has a game which, when he gets going, he can win matches for England."
Former England captain Hussain, however, has slammed McCullum's comments and questioned why he would want an opener in the side who is not consistently scoring runs. "It's a bit of mixed messaging from McCullum to say him [Crawley] and England need to go harder at Old Trafford in the second Test," Hussain wrote in a column for the Daily Mail.
"If Crawley plays England will have to be crystal clear in what they want from him because for the life of me I can't work out McCullum's comments about not wanting him to be consistent. Surely you seek consistency from your players — that's what you strive for and that's what England get from the likes of Root and Jimmy Anderson.
"As it is this attitude gives Crawley a cop out. He might think 'maybe today's just not my day. My technique is not suited to being a consistent player'.
"Instead his aim should be to do all he can to come through difficult situations and conditions when it's not his day. Test match cricket is about making an impact when it is tough and a grind.
"I can see why England are sticking with Crawley. He is a 'wow' player when he's batting well. But the trouble is those wow occasions are fewer and further between now and he's averaging 18.6 in his last 18 Tests."
