Zak Crawley has recorded one of the most thrilling centuries that Old Trafford has ever seen to help England build a 67-run lead over Australia at stumps on day two of the fourth Ashes Test.
The England opener hit 21 fours and three sixes as he scored 189 runs off just 182 deliveries, with many of his teammates aiding the team's efforts to reach 384-4 off just 72 overs.
With rain in the forecast for days four and five, England had little choice but to show intent, yet few could have anticipated that they would turn a 299-run deficit from day one into a considerable advantage.
James Anderson set the tone by removing Pat Cummins (1) with the first ball of the day, but England required over seven overs to take the final wicket of Josh Hazlewood (4) as Chris Woakes finished with figures of 5-62.
When Ben Duckett was dismissed for just one with the 13th ball of England's reply, Australia had the momentum, but Moeen Ali defied the doubters to make a superb 54 from 82 balls at number three.
Crawley was taking centre stage, however, as he brought up his ton in just 93 balls, the second-fastest Test century at this ground, with his second fifty taking just 26 balls.
Zak Crawley passes the 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ mark
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 20, 2023
He's on fire 😍🔥 pic.twitter.com/psCdhH6D9U
At the other end, Joe Root was also batting with intent, and the pair put on an astonishing 206 runs in just under 30 overs for the third wicket, handing England a lead in the process.
Cameron Green and Hazelwood stemmed the tide by bowling the two batsmen, with Root succumbing for 84 to a ball that kept low, before Harry Brook (14*) and Ben Stokes (24*) batted with patience to come through the remaining 10.5 overs.
Whether taking their foot off the gas during the closing hour proves the right decision remains to be seen, but wickets in hand leaves England with the licence to attack during the first hour of day three ahead of an assumed declaration before lunch.
Darren Plant
