England vs India: A half-century from Ben Duckett, ably backed by Zak Crawley, set England up for a historic win over India on Tuesday, as they reached 117-0 at lunch on day five, chasing a target of 371 to win.
With a 21-0 lead at the start of the day, England seemed unfazed as they tried to set a new record for the most successful run chase in Test history.
The longest partnership of 50 that Crawley and Duckett have ever taken for England was reached in 99 balls. For a team that is renowned for its fiercely aggressive batting, this is unusual.
Duckett kept up his consistent form by hitting fifty in tests for the 19th time before another outstanding Crawley drive helped the England openers surpass 2,000 test runs together, with India’s attack presenting little threat.
Before Jasprit Bumrah, the top-ranked test bowler in the world, returned to cause some trouble, the openers did begin to play more shots, reaching their second fifty in half the time.
Despite a number of near misses, Crawley and Duckett managed to keep England intact until the half, going undefeated on 42 and 64.
