Hampshire batsman John Crawley told Cricket AM his side are back on track after a poor run.
'We're back on track - and 'Mini Mush' is a real find!'
Hampshire batsman John Crawley told Cricket AM that his team-mates have what it takes to secure their First Division status for another season - and hailed the "brilliant" contribution of Imran Tahir.
Tahir and James Tomlinson each took four wickets as Hampshire raced to an unexpected three-day win over Yorkshire at the Rose Bowl in the County Championship.
And Essex-born Crawley, whose side climbed out of the bottom two at the expense of their beaten opponents, is confident they can build on the vital ten-wicket victory.
"It was a brilliant win, the guys played really well against Yorkshire," Crawley said.
"We have struggled a bit for a mixture of reasons. We've had a lot of injuries, a lot of players haven't played as well as they can do - myself included - but we're back on track.
"It's going to be a bit of a dogfight but we've got four games effectively to seal our fate in the First Division and we need to stay there."
Brilliant
Hampshire signed Pakistan A leg-spinner Tahir, who has previous county experience with Middlesex in 2003 and Yorkshire in 2007, as their overseas player for the remainder of the season in July.
And Crawley revealed that the 29-year-old, who has claimed 22 wickets in three matches, has already drawn comparisions with compatriot Mushtaq Ahmed.
"He's brilliant, he's a fantastic individual," Crawley said of Tahir.
"He's so keen, just like Mushy - we've started calling him Mini Mush!
"When he takes a wicket, he runs about 50 yards towards the cover boundary, jumping in the air; the fans don't know quite what to make of him but his bowling is fantastic. He's won games for us and he's an absolutely brilliant find."
Misunderstood
Evergreen Crawley, who has represented England in 37 Test matches, has a year left to run on his Hampshire contract.
And while he admitted that gruelling schedules are beginning to take their toll, the 36-year-old Rose Bowl beneficiary is still targeting the batting milestone of 25,000 first-class runs.
"I need just under 1,000 to achieve that," Crawley told Simon and Anita.
"I've got another year on my contract with Hampshire. But we'll see. As you get a bit older your body tells you that it's slightly different from when you were 25. I'll take it year by year, see how the body is, and see how I'm enjoying it."
And the man nicknamed 'Creepy' Crawley saved some final praise for Hampshire team-mate and new England cricket captain, Kevin Pietersen.
"He's magnificent and a great bloke," Crawley added.
"Unfortunately he can't play for us very much but when he does he gives his all. I think he's a little bit misunderstood by the English public and I think he'll make a great captain.
"It won't affect his batting because he knows how to compartmentalise between the captaincy and the batting - he's got a great future with England."
