GENERATION Z

Crawley leads England today hoping to give a glimpse into great ODI future

- DEAN WILSON

ZAK CRAWLEY has admitted his shock at being named stand-in ODI skipper, but hopes to give fans a glimpse into England's World Cup future with nine other hopefuls.

The eleventh man at Headingley is Joe Root who will be central to England's trophy ambitions over the next two months, and is looking for a final tune-up before departure.

But the rest, including four uncapped players, are jockeying for position in a competitive field that only appears to be getting stronger by the season.

And by being named as captain for the three matches against an Ireland side who failed to make it to this year's World Cup, Crawley has the chance to show that he not only has the batting ability to thrive against the white ball, but he can do so while pulling the strings in charge.