Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley (Source: AP Photos)
England under Ben Stokes is known to play an aggressive brand of cricket in Test cricket. They have found decent success with it so far, and their openers have been the pillars of that approach in the last few years.
Zak Crawley-Ben Duckett Lead Bazball Charge On Tough Oval Track
Now, in the Oval Test, the last of the five-match series against India, the duo of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett has again delivered a counter-attacking punch to put India on the back foot on a pitch that has a good amount of help for the bowlers.
The English openers notched up a stand of 92 runs in just 12.5 overs, and their team eventually crossed the 100-run mark on the fourth delivery of the 15th over. It is the third fastest team hundred against India in Test cricket and the quickest for England in history.
At one point in time, it looked like they would break Australia's record, who crossed the 100-run mark against India in just 14 overs. They did that at the WACA in 2012 while Bangladesh are second in the list with a team hundred in just 14.1 overs during a Test match against India in Mirpur.
Fastest Team 100s vs India In Tests:
- 13.6 overs by Australia, Perth, 2012
- 14.1 overs by Bangladesh, Mirpur, 2007
- 14.4 overs by England, The Oval, 2025
Ben Duckett eventually departed on 43 off 38 balls while Zak Crawley notched up his fifty in just 42 balls. Overall until Lunch on Day 2, England have scored 109 runs in just 16 overs and are just 115 runs behind India's first innings score of 224. Thus, England have been pretty positive in their approach, and the fast start on a tough batting wicket has put them in a strong position in the fifth and final Test match of the series.