Duckett and Crawley’s Record-Breaking Partnership at Headingley

England’s opening pair, Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, have etched their names in the history books at Headingley. Chasing a target of 371 set by India, they achieved a feat not seen by an English opening pair in the fourth innings since 1984. The Indian bowlers struggled against Duckett and Crawley’s dominant performance on the final day of the Test match. Both batsmen reached their half-centuries, swiftly propelling England towards the target. Duckett’s form was particularly impressive, mirroring his first-innings performance and reaching his half-century in just 66 balls. This marks the first instance of an English duo establishing a 100+ run partnership in the fourth innings at Headingley since 1984, when Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge achieved a 106-run partnership. At the time of reporting, Duckett and Crawley had already accumulated 140 runs for the first wicket without losing any wickets. Duckett also became only the second English opener in the last 30 years to score fifties in both innings of a Test match at Headingley, following Alastair Cook’s achievement in 2015.