Pakistan v England: Crawley, Duckett, Pope and Brook make hundreds

Zak Crawley led the mode with the archetypal of England's 4 centuries

Four batters crashed hundreds arsenic England piled up the runs connected a scintillating archetypal time of the archetypal Test against Pakistan successful Rawalpindi.

Zak Crawley's 122 included reaching 3 figures from 86 balls, the fastest Test 100 by an England opener.

Ben Duckett marked his archetypal Test for six years with his maiden hundred, making 107 arsenic the openers shared 233 for the archetypal wicket.

When they fell, Ollie Pope picked up the baton with 108, adding 176 with Harry Brook, who stole the amusement by thrashing England's third-fastest 100 of each time.

Brook made his archetypal Test ton from 80 balls and took England to 506-4, the astir runs immoderate squad has ever scored connected the archetypal time of a Test.

All this aft the lucifer was fixed the go-ahead to statesman lone 2 and a fractional hours earlier the scheduled commencement pursuing an unwellness that ripped done the England campy connected Wednesday.

From the XI that was named connected Tuesday, lone wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was deemed unfit to play, leaving Pope to instrumentality implicit down the stumps and allowing Will Jacks to travel for his Test debut alongside chap spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Livingstone.

England airy up historical day

England halted touring Pakistan aft gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka squad successful 2009. After astir 2 decades away, this was a spectacular return.

If determination were immoderate doubts that England could replicate the swashbuckling benignant that brought them truthful overmuch occurrence successful the location summertime successful distant conditions, they were banished with immoderate dazzling strokeplay.

Whatever statement this method is fixed - England bash not similar the word 'Bazball' - it was not cavalier oregon reckless, but a cleanable execution of affirmative intent connected the flattest of pitches.

Crawley and Duckett added 100 successful 13.5 overs, England's fastest period opening stand. The 174 runs they had astatine luncheon was an England grounds for the archetypal time of a Test. No different England squad had ever reached 300 faster, nary squad successful past has got to 400 oregon 500 quicker.

England were helped by hospitality from the hosts. A Pakistan broadside containing 4 debutants were lacklustre with the shot and woeful successful the field.

With Rawalpindi a notoriously hard crushed connected which to unit a result, the lightning velocity of England's scoring has fixed them a superb accidental to spell up successful the three-match series.

Openers permission Pakistan stunned

Crawley took 14 runs from the archetypal implicit of the lucifer and England ne'er looked back.

Supported by skipper Ben Stokes and manager Brendon McCullum done a tally of debased scores successful the summer, this was a high-class repayment of religion with saccharine drives, clips and pulls.

Given retired lbw connected 99 to Naseem Shah, Crawley successfully reviewed and moved to his 3rd Test 100 2 balls later.

Duckett struggled successful the 4 Tests helium played successful 2016, yet the Nottinghamshire left-hander looked wholly astatine home, cutting the gait bowlers, past sweeping and reverse-sweeping the spinners.

When helium went to his maiden ton, it marked the archetypal clip some England openers had made a 100 successful the aforesaid Test innings since 2013.

Duckett was lbw connected reappraisal reverse-sweeping debutant leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, portion Crawley was bowled by Haris Rauf, but their departures gave nary respite to Pakistan.

More to follow.