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Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley centurions as England show glimpse of future in New Zealand practice match

Dominic Sibley was the leading run-scorer in the County Championship last season - Getty Images AsiaPac
Dominic Sibley was the leading run-scorer in the County Championship last season - Getty Images AsiaPac

Two new England batsmen scored centuries at Cobham Oval in the two-day practice game, albeit against an attack of local lads as green as the square after the rainiest of springs.

Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley are both new to the England team, tall, fresh and self-assured - yet very different in style.

Sibley is inked in for the first two Tests, as the opening partner of Rory Burns, having inherited Burns' title as the leading run-scorer in the first division. Sibley made his championship debut for Surrey alongside Burns, before moving to Warwickshire for greater opportunity.

Sibley is chest-on and bottom-handed. He grips the bat low on the handle and walks across his stumps, completely obscuring them by the time the ball is delivered. He pushes forward and plays straight in defence, but is liable to drag the ball legside when he drives as the bottom hand takes control.

After England had negotiated that they would bat for the rest of the day after rain had delayed the start until early afternoon, Sibley played himself in with the care and patience England seek from their next opening batsman. “It's something I've done from a young age,” he said. “It's a strength of mine so I just try to continue to do that, play to my strengths, get through the new ball and hopefully cash in.”

Zak Crawley in Whangarei - Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Zak Crawley - who stands at 6'5" - has been pencilled in as a future No 3 for England Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Sibley’s first 13 runs took 59 balls; but there is nothing wrong with blocking good balls so long as bad balls are dispatched; and Sibley proceeded to do so, accelerating - especially against some modest left-arm spin - until he was called in by his captain after reaching 100 off 161 balls.

Crawley, at 21, is three years younger and two inches taller at 6' 5". Whereas Sibley has been inked in for the two-Test series, Crawley has been pencilled in as a future number three - after Joe Denly, who is on course to play in the three-day first-class game that starts on Friday at this same venue, and to bat at three in the Test series, so Joe Root can return to his favoured place of four.

Crawley is side-on - whereas Sibley is chest-on - and has a wider stance, and a more handsome style. Coming in at number three, by when the bowling was already moderate, Crawley got off the mark by clipping a full toss for four, swept the left-arm spin neatly, and accelerated smoothly to reach his hundred.

Dominic Sibley and Rory Burns - Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Sibley and Rory Burns are inked in to open the batting for England's upcoming Test series against New Zealand Credit: GETTY IMAGES

The parameters of batting - or hitting - are rapidly expanding, but there has still been no specialist Test batsman of distinction so tall as Crawley: Matthew Hayden stood at 6' 2" and Graeme Smith at 6' 3" among top-order batsmen; Kevin Pietersen at 6' 4" of those who batted lower down.

In both cases, it may boil down to how they play within their limitations. Sibley is going to be taxed by bowling around fourth stump which forces him to play offside. Against the medium-paced short balls here, he was able to stand tall and drop the ball down but New Zealand will fire some fast bouncers.

Crawley, being such a big target, is also going to be bounced. There was a big appeal for a catch down legside when Crawley tried to pull his fourth ball off the front foot; and, rare among specialist batsmen, he wore an armguard.

Who will score more Test runs? Difficult one. How about a punt on another young player who batted yesterday, Ollie Pope.