Crawley, jiska Test career abhi bhi sawalon ke ghere mein hai, ne apne recent performances ke bawajood pressure feel kiya. Uske saath Bell-Drummond bhi, jo season ke shuru mein struggle kar rahe the, ek solid performance ki talaash mein the. Dono batsmen ke liye yeh match ek turning point saabit hua, lekin Kent ke liye overall consistency abhi bhi ek chunauti hai.
Match shuru hua aur Hampshire ne pehle batting karte hue 177 run banaye, jo ek challenging target tha. Hampshire ke batsmen, jaise James Vince aur Joe Weatherley, ne shuruat mein achha khela, lekin Kent ke bowlers, khaaskar Tom Rogers (3/33) aur Wes Agar (1/26), ne unhe rokne mein kaamyaabi haasil ki. Yeh performance yaad dilati hai 2023 ke T20 Blast ke ek match ki, jab Kent ne Gloucestershire ke khilaaf 316 runs ka target chase kiya tha, jisme Crawley ne 58 runs ki shandaar innings kheli thi. Us din ki tarah, is baar bhi Kent ke batsmen ne dikha diya ke woh bade targets ko haasil kar sakte hain.
Jab Kent batting ke liye aayi, toh Zak Crawley aur Daniel Bell-Drummond ne doosre wicket ke liye 110 runs ki partnership banayi, jo match ka turning point bani. Crawley ne 43 balls mein 75* runs banaye, jisme unki aggressive batting aur cover drives dekhne layak the. Bell-Drummond ne bhi 40 balls mein 61 runs ki shandaar innings kheli, aur dono ne Hampshire ke bowlers ko pareshan kar diya. Yeh partnership yaad dilati hai England ke 2023 Ashes ke dauraan Crawley aur Ben Duckett ki opening partnership ki, jab Crawley ne Australia ke khilaaf 189 runs ki zabardast innings kheli thi. Is match mein bhi Crawley ka confidence aur strokeplay usi level ka tha, jo unhe ek khatarnak batsman banata hai.
Joe Denly ne bhi 16 balls mein 21* runs banaye aur ek six ke saath match ko finish kiya, jisse Kent ne 178 runs ka target 19 overs mein hi chase kar liya, woh bhi sirf do wickets khokar. Yeh jeet Kent ke liye season ki pehli badi jeet thi, aur isne unhe T20 Blast mein ek nayi ummeed di. Crawley ki innings ne unke critics ko bhi chup kar diya, jo unke Test form ko lekar sawaal utha rahe the. Yeh performance unki 2025 Test century ke baad aayi, jo unhone Zimbabwe ke khilaaf Trent Bridge mein banayi thi, jisme unhone 124 runs ki shandaar innings kheli thi.
Lekin yeh jeet ek bada sawaal bhi chhod gayi. Kent ki team, Crawley aur Bell-Drummond ke shandaar performances ke bawajood, consistency mein kami dikhati hai. T20 Blast ke pehle match mein, Kent ka match Middlesex ke khilaaf barish ki wajah se abandon ho gaya tha, jisme Crawley ne 57 runs banaye the, lekin team ko jeet nahi mili. Isi tarah, County Championship mein bhi Kent ka performance up-down raha hai, jaise Glamorgan ke khilaaf unki innings and 161 runs ki haar. Crawley ka form bhi ek puzzle bana hua hai – ek din woh match-winner dikhte hain, toh doosre din unka struggle saaf dikhayi deta hai, jaise New Zealand ke khilaaf 2024 ke Test series mein, jahan unka average sirf 8.66 raha tha. Kya Kent aur Crawley is jeet ke momentum ko barkaraar rakh payenge, ya phir yeh ek aur flash in the pan rahega?
