Crane 'buzzing' at England recall, wants more than Insta celebrity

Mason Crane tells the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast : "I don't want to just be a highlights reel bowler"; watch England's first game of ODI tri-series in Pakistan on Tuesday, against the hosts, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 8.30am (play starts 9am)

Mason Crane said he was "buzzing" to be back in the England fold, adding that his ambitions go beyond being a "highlights reel" leg-spinner as he looks to make the most of his second bite at international cricket.

Crane was capped three times as a 20-year-old, nine years ago, the last of which was his Test debut in the final match of England's 2017/18 Ashes tour in Sydney. He'd take a single wicket as the tourists signed off a 4-0 series drubbing with another defeat.

Speaking to the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast , Crane admitted that he was "resigned to the fact it may not come again" as a near decade passed without further recognition, until getting the call for England's upcoming ODI tri-series in Pakistan.

"I didn't really expect it, to be honest," Crane said. "It was a bit out of the blue. But it's really cool and I'm buzzing.

"I think there was a period a few years ago where I was sort of resigned to the fact it may not come again, where I maybe put a bit too much pressure on myself and wasn't particularly enjoying it.

"But the last couple of years I feel like I've I sort of got that spark back and the ambition that comes with it."

Following his initial England breakthrough in 2017, injuries ruined Crane's 2018 season and he struggled to nail down a regular spot for his county Hampshire, until a 2024 move to Glamorgan prompted a change in fortunes.

There, he thrived under the coaching of Richard Dawson, who has just left to join England's red-ball staff as assistant to the newly-appointed Stephen Fleming.

"Daws is a brilliant coach. He's been absolutely amazing for us," Crane said. "He has very high standards; he pushes you to become the best version of yourself, and we all sort of thrived off that.

"From a Glamorgan point of view, we'd obviously rather have kept him. But when you have someone like Daws as your coach, if we're if we're being brutally honest, I think you know at some point that he's going to go on to international cricket.

"He's such a brilliant manager of people. He'll be amazing in any role he does.

"It's amazing for England. And like I said, I'm sure one day he will be in a position to take over an international side. He's that kind of calibre of coach."

Crane's return to the England fold has as much to do with his hugely-improved form with the bat, as much as his performances with the ball.