RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN - DECEMBER 01: Zak Crawley of England celebrates reaching his century during the First Test Match between Pakistan and England at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Zak Crawley has long divided opinions since appearing in England's test side in 2019, but the young gun has admitted that he has aspirations to make his mark on the white-ball game.

Crawley has recently joined the Hobart Hurricanes in Australia's Big Bash League, previously playing one match for the London Spirit in 2021, scoring 64 runs as an opening batsman.

With the ODI World Cup set to begin in October this year, Crawley has his eyes on expanding his game beyond test cricket.

"I massively want to get in that T20 and 50-overs side," Crawley told ESPNcricinfo.

"I've always actually found white-ball probably comes more naturally to me, but the red-ball has always been my priority and has always been my favourite format. It's the most rewarding and, in my eyes, the pinnacle of the sport."

The test opener's Big Bash League debut came just weeks ago, smashing an unbeaten 54 off 28 balls to help the Hobart Hurricanes to their highest ever score in the competition, an impressive feat that Crawley is keen to translate into both ODI and test form.

"I think people can see that I've got talent and you can work with talent," Crawley said.

"And I've been fortunate to have the backing of some good players which is obviously so cool. It's just up to me to make it work consistently and turn myself into a top player, which is what I want. And I've shown signs of that.

"I want to be remembered as someone [where people say] 'oh geez, Zak's coming in to bat now, I'm gonna go watch on the TV'.
"Or you know there was that line that all the bars were empty when Kevin Pietersen was batting. I just thought that was such a cool thing to say about someone when I was growing up and I thought, that's what I want.
"I was inspired by Ricky Ponting and Pietersen, two blokes who absolutely whacked it. You don't really hear many guys talk about the blockers as their heroes."