Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was left in awe by Zak Crawley’s exceptional century in the Manchester Test. The England opener’s blazing knock saw him register the fourth fastest hundred by an English batter against Australia, dismantling the visitors’ bowling attack on Day 2.
Having faced scrutiny for his performances earlier in the Ashes series, Crawley silenced his critics with a remarkable display of batting prowess. He reached his century off just 93 balls, making it one of the quickest hundreds by an Englishman against Australia in Test history. During the second session of the match, England raced past 200, scoring a staggering 178 runs in a mere 25 overs.
The partnership between Crawley and Moeen Ali played a pivotal role in England’s rapid scoring. The duo’s second-wicket stand of 121 then set the stage for Joe Root, who continued the onslaught, forging a century partnership with Crawley in just 82 balls.
Ricky Ponting praised Crawley’s ball-striking ability, acknowledging the special talent he possesses.”Crawley’s ball-striking was outstanding. A lot of people around English cricket have known what he is capable of. Stokes wants to pick people with special things ahead of them and what Crawley has produced is very special,” Ricky Ponting told Sky Sports.
Unfazed by the early loss of Ben Duckett, Crawley remained resilient, accelerating his scoring rate from 26 off 46 balls at lunch to reach his century in a mere 93 deliveries. By Tea, he had amassed an unbeaten score of 132, surpassing Ben Stokes to become England’s leading run-scorer in the series so far.