England’s Duckett-Crawley Partnership Shines at Headingley

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley created a memorable moment at Headingley, with their opening partnership making history. While pursuing a target of 371 set by India, the opening duo achieved a feat that hadn’t been seen from an English pair in a fourth innings since 1984. The Indian bowlers struggled to find an answer to Duckett and Crawley’s batting on the final day. Both batsmen reached their half-centuries, rapidly bringing England closer to the target. Duckett showcased excellent form, mirroring his performance from the first innings, and reached his half-century in just 66 balls. This century partnership was the first by an English pair in the fourth innings at Headingley since 1984, when Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge put on a 106-run partnership. The pair had already added 140 runs for the first wicket without losing a single one. Furthermore, Duckett became only the second English opener in the last three decades to score a half-century in both innings of a Test match at Headingley, with Alastair Cook being the last to accomplish this in 2015.