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TimesofIndia.com in Manchester: Zak Crawley was full of praise for his captain Ben Stokes after England ended Day 2 of the fourth Test strongly at Old Trafford. England finished the day at 225 for 2, trailing India by just 133 runs, after a dominant 166-run opening stand between Crawley and Ben Duckett. Speaking to the media, Crawley said, “We are in a good position as a team. Ben Stokes is a phenomenal cricketer, so good to have him as a leader. He is a fantastic bowler, goes under the radar.” Crawley himself scored a fluent 84, but admitted he was slightly disappointed not to get to three figures. “I was pleased with the way I played, I would have wanted the 16. You always want more, that will never change,” he added with a smile.Speaking about Rishabh Pant, who batted with a broken foot to score a valiant 54, Crawley said, “Not many would have come out to bat on one foot. It shows how tough he is.” Addressing the recent controversy from the Lord’s Test, where India captain Shubman Gill claimed that England’s openers were 90 seconds late to start the innings, Crawley played it down. “I wasn’t aware that we were 90 seconds late. We sit in our spot till umpires go out,” he clarified.
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Which performance stood out most to you on Day 2?
England looked sharp on Day 2, with Duckett blazing away to 94 before falling to debutant Anshul Kamboj. Crawley too fell before stumps, nicking Ravindra Jadeja to slip. But by then, England had already gained the upper hand. Earlier in the day, Rishabh Pant scored a courageous fifty despite a broken foot, while Ben Stokes took five wickets to bowl India out for 358. The fourth Test remains finely poised, but Crawley and Co. have given England a firm grip going into Day 3.
