Crawley: England excited for WI tour and chance to bounce back

Zak Crawley says England are excited about tour of the West Indies and keen to take the chance to “bounce back strongly” following their Ashes nightmare.

England landed in Antigua last week with a new-look group and Paul Collingwood at the helm as the interim head coach after the dismissal of Chris Silverwood.

Eight players from England's Ashes squad were cut following their 4-0 thrashing Down Under, including Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who account for 321 caps and 1,177 wickets.

Crawley, speaking to Sky Sports News' James Cole, highlighted the mood within the group as they prepare for their three-Test tour of the West Indies.

"There's a lot of excitement about this series, we're loving being here in the Caribbean, it's a great place to travel to and play," he said. "So, we're really looking forward to the series and we're a positive group at the moment."

The 24-year-old had a torrid 2021 at the crease but was brought back into England's mix for the final three tests in Australia. Despite England's woes Down Under, and the fallout since, Crawley believes the team will be able to look to the future and not back at the past.

"It's pretty easy [to put it behind you]. We know what when wrong, we've analysed what we did wrong and we're looking to move forwards now. That's what I personally feel anyway.

"I learnt a lot in that series, as I think we all did. I think you learn a lot in general from losing actually and it gives you a chance to bounce back strongly. I think we will during this series and in the coming year."

In 2021, Crawley produced one of the worst years by a top-six batter in Test history - scoring 173 runs across 16 innings at an average of 10.81. However, in Australia he reminded everyone of his