Home
Ben Duckett was the star performer for England as they reached the 371-run target against India on the fifth and final day of the Headingley Test and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The left-hand batter played a stunning knock of 149 runs from 170 deliveries and was crucial to the hosts winning the match. Another player who gave a major contribution in England's victory was Zak Crawley, who played a gritty inning of 65 runs and formed an enormous 188-run opening stand with Duckett.
Crawley and Duckett's partnership shattered records
The partnership turned out to be record-breaking as it was the highest stand against India in the fourth innings of any Test match in history and was also the highest in the final innings at Headingley. Duckett was adjudged as the Player of the Match as he had also played a vital knock of 62 during England's first innings where they went on to post 465 runs on the board.
After the conclusion of the match, England captain Ben Stokes lavished praise on both Crawley and Duckett and labelled their massive partnership in the fourth innings as 'incredible'.
"Duckett was unbelievable. The pressure of the fourth innings is tough, and batting is hard enough, especially in England. So that partnership between Zak [Crawley] and Duckett was just incredible, they set us up brilliantly," Stokes told Sky Sports Cricket.
"Those two complement each other so well. Duckett has got the big score that contributed towards us winning this game, but I thought the way Crawley was able to stay composed and stay in the moment was also very important to this win," he added.
Earlier, Stokes' decision of electing to bowl first after winning the toss at Headingley came under criticism after India went on to post a mammoth first-inning total of 471. However, the decision eventually ended up working in England's favour as they went on to emerge victorious. Stokes stated that there was a bit of grass on the pitch on Day 1 which influenced his decision of opting to bowl first.
"You don't know what's going to happen before a ball has been bowled. You've got to go with what you think is going to give you the best chance of winning the game, and it's a good job that Test cricket is played over five days. We were trying to think about what would give us the best opportunity to win this game," Stokes stated.
"The wicket here on day one looked like there was a bit of grass on top of it, and there was a bit of moisture underneath it. We backed ourselves to win that toss and bowl first, and try and strike a couple of early poles," he added.
The second Test between England and India is set to be contested at Edgbaston in Birmingham and is set to commence from July 2.
ADVERTISEMENT
