ENG vs ZIM | Centurion trio of Duckett, Crawley, and Pope puts England on top after Day 1

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ByDebayan Sinha, SportsCafe Editor

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England were in a commanding position at the end of the first day of the Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. Their dominance was led by top-order batters Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope, all of whom scored centuries as England finished the day with a mammoth 498/3.

‌Zimbabwe skipper Craig Ervine won the toss and elected to bowl first on a bright, sunny day in Nottingham. However, the decision backfired as England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett wreaked havoc, racing to 85/0 in 16 overs. Duckett was in sublime form as he brought up his 14th Test fifty off just 47 deliveries. Crawley soon followed suit and shifted gears to notch up his 17th half-century in 76 balls. The duo maintained their momentum, leaving Zimbabwe’s bowlers desperate for an early breakthrough. By lunch, England were cruising at 130/0 in 26 overs.

The post-lunch session continued in the same pattern, with both batters carrying on their domination. The highlight came when Duckett reached a brilliant century in 100 balls. Their aggressive approach pushed England to 221/0 in 41 overs. Zimbabwe finally found some relief in the 42nd over when Wessly Madhevere dismissed Duckett, breaking the massive opening stand. Ollie Pope then joined Crawley, and the pair took England to 295/1 at tea.

After the tea interval, Crawley reached his fifth Test hundred, solidifying England's commanding position. Pope, too, contributed with a fluent half-century as the partnership flourished. The score surged to 368/1 by the 65th over, before Crawley’s fine innings came to an end in the 66th, dismissed by Sikandar Raza. Pope continued to dominate and brought up a brilliant century off 109 deliveries. Joe Root joined the milestone club as one of the fastest to 13,000 Test runs, though he was dismissed for 34 in the 83rd over. With Harry Brook and Ollie Pope at the crease, England ended the day strongly at 498/3 after 88 overs.

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