Duckett-Crawley Opening Stand A First At Headingley In 41 Years

The last time this happened was when Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge had shared a 106-run stand.

The pair of Duckett and Crawley gave England a solid foundation.

Source : @mufaddal_vohra / X

England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley have etched their names into Headingley’s history books with a record-breaking partnership against India.

While chasing a daunting target of 371 runs on the final day of the first Test, the pair stitched together a commanding stand — one that hadn’t been seen at this venue in over four decades.

Century Stand After 41 Years in 4th Innings

Duckett and Crawley not only gave England a solid foundation but also scripted history by becoming the first English opening pair since 1984 to register a century partnership in the fourth innings at Headingley.

The last time this happened was when Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge had shared a 106-run stand. The current English duo surpassed that figure with an unbroken 140-run opening partnership at the time of reporting.

Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley are still going strong as we pass 100/0 in Leeds.

Catch up on the best of an excellent morning session, right here 📺👇

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 24, 2025

Duckett’s Special Feat

Ben Duckett added another personal milestone to his name. After scoring 62 in the first innings, he followed it up with another fluent half-century in the second innings, reaching the mark in just 66 balls.

This made him only the second English opener in the last 30 years to score fifties in both innings of a Headingley Test. The last to do it was Alastair Cook in 2015.

Duckett’s aggressive strokeplay and Crawley’s composed support have made things extremely challenging for the Indian bowlers, who looked ineffective despite multiple bowling changes. With Duckett in fine touch, England now has strong momentum in their pursuit of a historic win.

India playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Rehan Ahmed, Shoaib Bashir, Josh Tongue