Batting with a maturity and calculated calm Crookes went on to score an undefeated 95 as the tourists beat Sri Lanka A with nine balls of the game remaining at the Uyanwatte Stadium.
It was an innings which won the man of the match award and drew high praise from Graham Ford, the A Team coach who referred to it as a ``highly responsible team effort''.
In Ford's opinion moving Crookes to three in the South African A order for this match gave the batsman the platform he needed to build what the coach called a ``highly responsible innings under testing circumstances''.
A harmless rat snake, better known as Garandiya and fairly common in the southern regions, invaded the field during the 36th over when the tourists 146 for three with Crookes on 62. At first it sent a couple of the Sri Lanka players scurrying for safety until they realised it was harmless.
But it failed to disturb Crookes' concentration and he hit a six to win the match off Malintha Warnapura's bowling in the 49th over of the innings to see the A side to 209 for five in reply to 206.
Yet typically the way the strike was rotated, Crookes faced only 105 balls taking the attack to the Sri Lanka A bowlers with gusto: singles and twos run with care and attention during an impressive partnership of 57 with H D Ackerman, which did much to provide the drive the innings needed to kick into gear.
Although Ackerman chipped in with 20, he too had the Lanka A fieldsmen on the hop.
Mark Bruyns and Martin van Jaarsveld started off in pursuit on an oppressively hot day which had its fair share of drama during the Lanka A innings of 206.
The South Africans, needing a fraction above four runs an over found Bruyns and Van Jaarsveld were scoring slightly above the asking rate reaching 37 without loss after nine overs.
There was drama in the Sri Lanka A innings when the crowd booed and jeered the tourists after Crookes ran out Sanjeewa Silva Mankad fashion (or the Kapil Dev method for those who remember the incident with Peter Kirsten during the 1992/93 India tour).
But the batsman was warned by the bowler after he had attempted to pinch runs. Although Dale Benkenstein wanted Silva recalled the umpire, DKG Wijewardena, declined to accede to the South African A request, which further upset the 1,500 or so spectators.
The incident, toward the end of the innings, came at a time the Sri Lanka A were attempting to increase their run-rate tempo. Yet had it not been for an attacking half-century from Indika de Saram, the eventual score off 206 might also have been out of their reach.
With eight fours and well-paced singles De Saram discarded the middle-order defensive role assumed during the recently ended unofficial Test series, won 1-0 by South Africa.
Playing a wide range strokes De Saram attacked the bowling, especially Crookes and Bruyns during their stint.
Earlier the Natal left-arm fast bowler Gary Gilder shrugged off a bout of illness and grabbed two early wickets. He collected both openers to end his first spell with two for 21 and finished with two for 33 when he was forced to retire after taking a brilliant diving catch to get rid of Lanka de Silva whose gritty innings was holding up the South African A attack at a crucial stage of the innings.
Gilder was well supported by Herman Bakkes, who ended with impressive figures of two for 28 in 9.1 overs and was quite happy with his effort in the intense, muggy heat
Alert fielding from the tourists also sent Dulip Samaraweera back through a run out which combined some nifty work involving Dale Benkenstein and Crookes.
Both of Gilder's wickets went to catches taken by Ackerman - the first a classic effort at gully to get rid of schoolboy Upeka Fernando for 14. The A Team selectors were forced late last night forced to draft the Free State fast bowler, Bakkes, into the side last night.
Gilder began vomiting shortly before the South African side took the field while Bakkes had also been unwell. Both players may have been affected by the extreme heat experienced during Wednesday's middle net in Galle.
This report is supported by Lanka Internet Services, Colombo