England opener Zak Crawley's sole focus on starting the summer well with Kent ahead of home Ashes this summer

Zak Crawley insists his sole focus at the moment is on making a good start to the summer with Kent.

The 25-year-old remains one of England’s openers ahead of a home Ashes series which he'll hope to play a big part in.

But the former Tonbridge School pupil, set to be available for Matt Walker’s team for their first batch of County Championship clashes, isn’t looking too far ahead of their opening four-day game at home to Northamptonshire.

He said: “Every game is important to me, especially playing for Kent.

“There’s not a game I’ve played in my life where it’s not meant something to me. It means an awful lot to me to score runs every time I go out to bat.

“I want to score runs for my sake and Kent’s sake - not for getting my eye in for England’s sake.

“If I score some runs and I’m in good nick in June, that’ll be nice, as well.

“But the only thing I want to do right now is score runs on April 6.”

Crawley had a healthy taste of an Ashes series in 2021/22, being drafted in for the last three Tests with a highlight of 77 in the second innings at Sydney.

That showed him exactly how big a deal the rivalry is.

"I certainly felt it in the Ashes Down Under,” he said.

“There was a lot more hype around it and it was just bigger and there seemed to be more media.

"I got more nervous for it, it almost felt like my debut again, so I suppose that answers it.

“There is just a bigger hype around it and rightly so.

"It’s the biggest rivalry in Test match cricket, isn’t it?”

Crawley is one of several talented batsmen at Kent but he believes the competition for places they have is a good thing for the squad.

“I think all good sides have competition for places,” he noted.

“We’ve certainly got it, especially in our batting. I think the talent