Ashes 2023: On Thursday, England opener Zak Crawley reached 2,000 runs in Test cricket and became the third-most runs scored by an England batsman in a day’s play in Ashes Tests.
Zak Crawley achieved the milestone during the fourth Ashes Test against Australia in Manchester.
Zak Crawley, who had struggled with inconsistent form prior to the Ashes, responded to his detractors perfectly by hammering 189 in only 182 balls, which included 21 fours and three sixes. With Moeen Ali and Joe Root, he formed crucial alliances that assisted England in taking the lead.
Crawley has scored 2,109 runs at an average of 31.01 in 38 games. The strike rate for these runs was 63.33. He has nine fifty-scores and four hundreds, with the top score being 267.
He presently leads the 2014 Ashes in runs scored. In seven innings over four games, he scored 385 runs at an average of 55.00 with one century and one fifty. He has scored runs at a strike rate of around 90 percent.
The third-highest number of runs scored by an English hitter in a single day in an Ashes Test was scored by Crawley with 189. Tip Foster, who made 214 runs in 1902 at Sydney, is at the top of the list, followed by Wally Hammond, who scored 210 runs in 1938 at Lord’s.
Crawley had a strike rate of 103.84 while making his runs. In an Ashes inning with 150 runs or more, this strike rate ranks second highest. Adam Gilchrist scored runs at a strike rate of 106.29 against England at Edgbaston in 2001, setting the record for the quickest strike rate in an inning with 150+ runs. In that game, Gilchrist scored 152 points.
Len Hutton scored 364 runs in 1938 for the most runs by an English batsman in a home Ashes Test, with Crawley coming in at fourth place.
In just 93 balls, Crawley also became the second-fastest English opener to make a century. His 86-ball century against Pakistan last year was the quickest by an English opener.
England takes upper hand against Australia
England bowled out Australia for 317 in the first innings after choosing to field first.
Australia had a 299/8 day total at the end of it. Early in the day, Chris Woakes (5/62) and James Anderson (1/51) brought an end to Australia’s innings.
Ben Duckett was the only player England lost in their opening innings. Following this, Moeen (54) and Zak Crawley shared a 121-run partnership for the second wicket.
Crawley scored his first Ashes tonne and fourth overall in Tests after Moeen was dismissed. Before being removed for 189 off 182 balls, which included 21 fours and three sixes, he also had a third-wicket stand of 206 runs with Joe Root. Root was out for 84 off 95 balls, which included eight fours and a six, and was similarly dismissed quickly.
With captain Ben Stokes (24*) and Harry Brook (14*) remaining unbeaten, England finished the second day at 384/4. The home team led by 67 runs.
