Zak Crawley showered praise on his opening partner Ben Duckett as England piled on the runs on the opening day of the English Test summer.

Crawley hit 124 and shared in an opening stand of 231 for the first wicket with Notts batter Duckett, whose 140 lit up the morning session.

The duo contributed to a record-breaking day for the Three Lions, who reached 498/3 at stumps – the most runs ever scored in a day of a Trent Bridge Test, and the most ever amassed on the opening day of a Test in England.

“I love batting with Ducky,” said Crawley.

“He’s a phenomenal player, and takes a lot of pressure off me. We get on really well off the field as well, so it’s been a long six months without him.

“It’s been a great day for us. Ducky and Popey played unbelievably, Rooty passed 13,000 Test runs.

“I love being around this team; it’s my favourite team to play for, I wish we could play every week. I’ve missed it a lot and it’s nice to be back around the lads this week.”

Having endured a tricky start to the county summer, Crawley embraced his return to the international stage, hitting 14 boundaries in a composed 171-ball stay at the crease.

“I love batting, and I love scoring runs, especially for my country,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve found some decent form in the past few weeks, so hopefully I can build on that.

“I’ve played on some tricky wickets this year – pretty much all of them have been green seamers that have then flattened out a bit, and that’s been when I’ve found my runs.

“Today was a pretty nice wicket to bat on, so I wanted to make the most of it.

“I felt in good touch, and it was easier with Ben and Popey at the other end.”

Crawley’s Trent Bridge ton came after a lean run of form for the Three Lions overseas in the winter.

Those returns only left the Kent opener all the more keen to repay the support shown in him by England captain Ben Stokes and Head Coach Brendon McCullum.

“It’s awesome to be backed by two people I respect massively,” he said.

“They obviously think I’m the right man for the job, and I have that belief too.

“I always want to repay that faith, and that’s been the case for a few years now.

“I’m coming into a time in my career where I feel a bit more experienced; I feel like I know my game a bit more and hopefully I can build on that.”

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