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England versus Pakistan: Zak Crawley hits the first testing century

Third test, Ageas Bowl (day one of five)
England 332-4 (90 overs): Crawley 171 *, Buttler 87 *, Yasir 2-107
Pakistan: Still to beat
Scorecard

Zak Crawley’s glittering first test century gave England command of the third and final Test against Pakistan on day one at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

The 22-year-old, who played in his eighth Test, did not exude elegance for his 171.

He shared an unbroken partnership of 205 with Jos Buttler, who continued his bat resurgence by making an undefeated 87.

That moved England from 127-4 difficulty to 332-4, a position from which they are prepared to win the series.

On a stormy day, Pakistan had to fight a violently strong wind that whistled continuously across the ground.

In the end, they faced a major battle to avoid their first series loss to England since 2010.

England takes a step towards a series victory

Zak Crawley celebrates with Jos Buttler
Zak Crawley’s knock is his highest top notch score

After the second test on this soil was ruined by bad weather, there was a sense of foreboding when rain hit as the captains went out to throw themselves.

When the shower was over, the English skipper Joe Root took the opportunity to hit the slow, dry place and at the same time send Pakistan into the field under miserable conditions.

With the sun fleeting and the wind whirling around the empty stadium, it was Crawley who lit up the proceedings in an inning that gradually drew the enthusiasm of the tourists.

There were periods on either side of lunch when the competition between bat and ball was even, not least when Root and Ollie Pope fell within four overs.

Buttler came first to assist, however, and was then brought to life in an evening session with England rattling past at nearly five o’clock.

The second new ball was also sent out as Pakistan began to get lost.

By the end, England had already amassed enough to benefit from a pitch that could deteriorate, possibly with an uneven jump for Jofra Archer’s extra pace being restored to the side in place of Sam Curran.

Crawley’s dazzling display

Crawley was left out when England rebalanced their team over an injury that prevented Ben Stokes from bowling. He returned on the second Test with half a century and produced that feat to cement his place.

He announced his arrival by chopping off his first ball for four and played all over the floor with a level of stroke none of his teammates had come close to.

Crawley dripped in class, played drives of all kinds, led to the third man, glanced off the pads, faced the fast bowlers when they fell short and swept the spinners.

The Kent right-handed was able to move up and down the aisles depending on the control exercised by the Pakistani bowlers. He scored 45 of his first 46 deliveries and then adjusted to a more steady pace.

Crawley shoved Mohammad Abbas into the ceiling to reach three figures and celebrated with a modest bat elevation and a kiss of the badge on his helmet.

At this point, Buttler has stepped in the slipstream and hit Yasir Shah’s leg spin for two great straight sixes.

Crawley gave Bowler Fawad Alam a half chance back on 159 but the chance remains for a double century and Buttler is nearing his second test ton.

Pakistan was marginalized

Pakistan was well on its way to winning the first test ahead of Buttler and Chris Woakes’ exploits, and the tourists had hit a competitive total in the shortened second test.

They were rarely in competition here and it would take a monumental turn for the tourists to maintain their strong recent record against England.

Although Rory Burns put Shaheen Afridi on the fourth slip and Yasir, deployed early to roll against the wind, had an advancing Dom Sibley lbw, Pakistan had little control with the new ball. They didn’t make a virgin until almost two hours after the day started.

They improved after lunch and were opened wholeheartedly by 17 year old Naseem Shah. The pace bowler pushed you away to take Roots’ edge off and Yasir slipped through the bamboozled Pope.

From then on, however, they had little threat, little discipline, and less energy.

The Fawad fall made the shoulders sink further and although the new ball gave England an occasional awkward moment, Pakistan had flattened out by the end of a rare full game day.

“England’s best day of summer” – what they said

Former English captain Michael Vaughan: “The Old Trafford chase was dramatic, but this was England’s best day of the summer.

“It was the way the partnership went from the start: just play good test cricket. And Zak Crawley, you just can’t see a better century.”

Aatif Nawaz from Test Match Special: “It wasn’t so much a case of bad bowling from Pakistan as it was an extraordinary batting performance from England.

“Jos Buttler and Zak Crawley showed a harrowing focus and dominance that we haven’t seen too often this summer.”

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