Stokes Praises Duckett and Crawley's Explosive Start in England's Record Chase

Ben Stokes has praised the outstanding 188-run opening partnership between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, recognizing their contribution as the bedrock for England's successful pursuit of 371 in the fourth innings of the Headingley Test against India.

The openers laid the foundation for England's memorable win. © Getty

While Duckett's match-winning 149 grabbed the headlines, Stokes emphasized that Crawley's 65 was equally crucial, providing a disruptive and complementary presence at the top of the order.

"Chasing 370 like we were, you always want to get off to a good start. The least amount of wickets that you lose early on is obviously crucial, but the way he went about it with Zak and then played the game at the top of that order for us was huge in particular," Stokes said, acknowledging the importance of a solid foundation.

A Complementary Partnership

Stokes further elaborated on the dynamics between the two openers: "I think the way that Zak played as well was huge. They complement each other so, so well. Left hand, right hand, one's a giant, one's not. So it's very hard for the bowlers to settle in when they both get going. It's hard to find any rhythm. I'm sure you can ask the opposition. It can be a nightmare when they're in for a long period of time."

He added, "Ducky's got the 149, but I think that 70 [65] as well was so, so important. I thought he led the situation very well, knowing that Ducky was getting away and was able to put the pressure back onto them. That opening partnership for us at the top has been very, very good over the last couple of years."

Duckett's Dominance Against Spin

Duckett's aggressive approach against Ravindra Jadeja on the final day, particularly his confident use of the reverse sweep, drew special praise. Stokes considers him among the best players of spin in the world, highlighting his expertise with that particular shot.

"I actually spoke to him when we came off for that tea break, or rain break, whichever one it was," Stokes revealed. "He's one of the best in the world at doing reverse sweeps and he's a fantastic player of spin, in particular on really tricky surfaces."

Stokes even sought advice from Duckett during his own innings, aiming to refine his strategy against spin. "I just had a little word with him about what he thought I could potentially look at to give myself a better chance. When you're in there, you feel like you're either getting forward or getting back and trying to manipulate on the leg side."

He explained his own approach: "Just going in with a clear game and reverse sweeps was something I went out there with. Yeah, it's a difficult condition, but again, just going back to being clear and confident in what I needed to do to try and knock those men [close-in fielders] off."

Simple Strategies, Extraordinary Results

This victory marked the sixth time England has successfully chased down a target of 250 or more in the fourth innings under the leadership of Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. Stokes attributes this success to their ability to maintain simplicity and a relaxed atmosphere.

"I think we're just... We're a very simple-minded pair, me and Baz, I think, when it comes to cricket. Obviously, everyone knows what cricket's about. It's about scoring one more run than the opposition. And when you strip it all back, that's what it's like. So we just try to keep everything as simple, calm as we possibly can," Stokes stated.

He emphasized the importance of a positive dressing room environment when chasing large totals: "When you're chasing down totals like that, how you are in the dressing room is actually very important. You know, because the lads have got jobs to go out there and do. And, you know, keeping the sort of calm, relaxed vibe as much as we can throughout the dressing room is so important to sort of the mindset of how someone is to go out there when you're out there in the middle with the pressures of, you know, that situation in particular."

Stokes concluded by highlighting the favorable scoring conditions at the ground: "It was pretty simple yesterday. It was if we bat the overs that is left in this game, we will win this game just because of how quick this ground is at scoring. I don't know what I've read, but it's probably been over four an over [scoring rate] anyway without any team really doing anything... bar Rishabh [Pant]. It's just a very, very quick scoring ground."