Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope have all scored centuries as England dominated the first day of the Test summer, racking up 3-498 against an outclassed Zimbabwe attack at Trent Bridge.
The first meeting between the nations in 22 years looked like a mismatch on paper, the tourists having lost heavily to an inexperienced county XI last week, and the hosts lived up to lofty expectations with their top three all helping themselves to tons on Thursday.
Duckett hit a typically feisty 140, Crawley put a lean winter behind him with 124 and vice-captain Ollie Pope trumped them both with an unbeaten 169.
In doing so, they set a new record for the most runs scored on the first day of a Test in England, eclipsing the 475 scored by Donald Bradman’s Australia in 1934.
In Zimbabwe’s first Test in England for 22 years, England’s top-order maintained an unforgiving run-rate of 5.65 an over and combined for a bruising total of 62 boundaries and four sixes.
Duckett’s ton was the quickest of the three, ticking by in exactly 100 deliveries on his home ground, while Crawley took 45 balls longer in an assured stay.
It was a fifth Test century for both men, with an opening stand of 231 keeping Pope waiting around three hours for his own opportunity.
When his time came, Pope made the most of it, getting off to a flying start en route to his eighth England century before then punishing a weary and depleted bowling unit late on.
England handed a debut to bowler Sam Cook but he got no opportunity when Craig Ervine put England in.
Instead, Duckett and Crawley posted 130 before lunch at exactly five an over.
Joe Root was the one to miss out on a big score, when he holed out for 34 at deep fine leg attempting a hook off Blessing Muzarabani, but he did soak up the applause for becoming just the fifth batter in Test history to pass 13,000 runs.
Pope will be eyeing his highest test score of 205 on Friday with England looking to bat once in the four-day match as they prepare for the series against India and later on the Ashes in Australia.
Pope and Crawley have been short of runs in recent times, and with Jacob Bethell an option to come into the side, their centuries could not have been better timed, even if they came against a modest Test attack.
With Reuters
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