ENG vs ZIM, solely Test: Top 3 script world file as England put up 498 on Day 1-OxBig News Network

England kicked off their dwelling summer season in record-breaking trend, dominating Zimbabwe on Day 1 of their four-day Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The hosts racked up a commanding 498 for 3 in what’s Zimbabwe’s first Test in England in 22 years.

England’s prime order made historical past as Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, and Ollie Pope turned the primary trio in Test historical past to every rating a century in the identical innings twice — a uncommon and noteworthy feat.

ENG vs ZIM, solely Test Day 1 Scorecard | Highlights

Crawley (124) and Duckett (140) each notched their fifth Test a whole lot, placing on a mammoth 231-run stand for the opening wicket. Pope, whose place within the Test facet had been underneath scrutiny, silenced doubters with a dominant 169 not out off simply 163 deliveries — an announcement knock to start the summer season.

It was Bazball in full stream, with Duckett and Pope each scoring at strike charges above 100, preserving the Zimbabwe bowlers underneath fixed stress. Pope, batting on 169, might be trying to convert it right into a double and cement his place within the facet forward of the upcoming sequence towards India.

Joe Root missed out on a giant rating however contributed 34 earlier than falling. Despite the modest knock, Root reached a significant milestone, changing into only the fifth batter in Test history to surpass 13,000 runs.

“Pretty good, incredible rating, nice day, very happy. WIth Ben taking part in in addition to he did, and Popey doing the identical, I used to be comfy getting down the opposite finish. Always need a massive rating, disenchanted after I bought out, felt in good contact, discovered a little bit of rhythm,” Zak Crawley mentioned, reflecting on a productive day for England with the bat.

While England piled on the runs, the mismatch in high quality sparked debate amongst Test cricket supporters in regards to the widening gulf between prime sides and rising groups like Zimbabwe – and the urgent want for such groups to get extra alternatives on the highest stage.

England’s 498 on Day 1 marked their fifth-highest single-day whole in Test historical past. They nonetheless maintain the file for essentially the most runs in a day – 588 towards India in Manchester in 1936. Notably, in the course of the early days of the Bazball period, England had smashed 506 runs on the primary day of a Test in Rawalpindi in 2022.

Zimbabwe, contemporary off a uncommon Test win towards Bangladesh final month, regarded extraordinary with the ball. Their assault lacked penetration on a flat Trent Bridge floor. Blessing Muzarabani, who had impressed with a six-wicket haul in that Bangladesh Test, could not replicate his kind, and the tempo trio of Richard Ngarava, Tanaka Chivanga, and Victor Nyauchi struggled to include the stream of runs.

Sikandar Raza was the one Zimbabwe bowler to concede at underneath 4 runs an over, providing some management in an in any other case one-sided day.

England will look to press on in comparable trend on Day 2 and goal to bat simply as soon as on this one-off Test.