England Fourmidable as records are broken
ZAK Crawley hailed an “unbelievable” day as England’s attacking approach scaled new heights, with four players hitting centuries in a record-breaking opening day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook all reached three figures as England racked up 506 for four, the highest-ever total after day one of a Test.
It was also the first time four batters had scored tons on the opening day, with Crawley hitting the fastest Test hundred by an England opener and Duckett and Brook compiling their first in Tests.
Crawley needed only 86 balls to bring up his century, which came shortly after lunch.
“No, I’ve never seen a day like that,” said the 24-year-old. “I think it is the record in day one of a Test, so it was unbelievable. Ducky batted fantastically and so did the other two boys.”
Crawley and Duckett put on a mammoth 233, the fastest doublecentury stand in Test history, for the first wicket, with the latter bringing up his own maiden century in the format from 108 balls on his recall to the side after a six-year absence. Duckett was one of the players struggling with a viral infection, which briefly threatened to cause the game to be postponed by 24 hours on the eve of the match, and admitted it was less-than-ideal preparation.
“It all happened really fast, towards the end of Tuesday night it just came on,” said the Nottinghamshire opener.
“I felt fine going to bed and I found out the next morning there were about 13 or 14 others, so not the best build-up to a Test match and certainly not the best for me in my first one back for six years.
“But it would have taken a lot for me not to play. Stokesy (captain Ben Stokes) said, ‘Let’s get out there and let’s take them on.’
“The energy levels probably weren’t the highest, I think there were some happy men when we won the toss and batted and gave our bowlers another day to rest up.”
Pope and Brook carried on where the openers left off as England showed no signs of slowing down.
Pope played elegantly for a chanceless century, from 90 deliveries, while Brook briefly threatened to score the fastest-ever ton by an Englishman in Test cricket with an entertaining knock, including one memorable over in which he struck Saud Shakeel for six successive fours.
Stokes was seen laughing and hollering his approval from the balcony as the carnage unfolded and Brook’s own reaction, laughing openly as he dragged Shakeel’s final offering through midwicket, told its own story.
“They were all bad balls, I just tried to put them away,” he said with a beaming smile. “I was always going to try and hit the sixth for four. I was probably happier with that over than the hundred, to be honest.”
The Yorkshire batter finished the day unbeaten on 101 from 81 deliveries, with Stokes striking 34 not out from just 15 to cap off an outstanding batting performance.
After an extraordinary day, Crawley stressed England’s desire to showcase the format, which has struggled to attract big crowds across the world in recent years.
“We’ve just been looking to score and be positive all the time and have a good attitude in the field and that’s been the biggest thing that Baz (Brendon Mccullum) and Stokesy has brought in,” he said.
“So that’s what we’re trying to do, more entertain the crowd than winning. Winning is great but part of our goal is to make people want to watch Test cricket and hopefully that’s happening.”
I was always going to try and hit the sixth for four. I was probably happier with that over than the hundred, to be honest.
Harry Brook