Crawley's 171 puts England in charge of 3rd Test vs Pakistan
Southampton: Zak Crawley hit an unbeaten, career-best 171 and Jos Buttler was approaching his second Test century as England dominated the opening day of the third and final match of the series against Pakistan on Friday.
England closed on 332-4, with the fifth-wicket stand between Crawley and Buttler (87) worth 205 and Pakistan's bowlers looking demoralised in the isolated environment of the Rose Bowl.
Crawley struck 19 fours in a composed 269-ball inning that saw him more than double his previous best score of 76, achieved last month on the same ground in Southampton.
The 22-year-old batsman is only playing in his eighth Test match because Ben Stokes is missing while he attends a family matter back in New Zealand, and now looks undroppable on this form.
It was the first Test century by a No. 3 batsman for England since November 2018, and a first on home in four years. The position has been a problem area, but perhaps no more.
"Best feeling I've had on a cricket field by quite a long way," Crawley said after being applauded off the middle by Pakistan's players then the waiting England players and officials.
Buttler, meanwhile, produced another beautiful innings that will further quieten the critics of a wicketkeeper-batsman who has had a disappointing summer behind the stumps. He smashed leg-spinner Yasir Shah for two sixes down the ground, while his array of impressive shot-making included an exquisite back-foot drive through the covers.
It was Buttler's highest test knock in nearly two years.
England leads 1-0 and is looking to clinch a first series victory over Pakistan in 10 years, as well as a second of the summer after beating the West Indies 2-1.
Pakistan faces a tough task getting back into a match that looked like going its way on Day 1 when England was reduced to 127-4 following the dismissals of Joe Root (29) and Ollie Pope (5) after lunch.
The tourists then lost control amid the shot-making of Crawley and Buttler, with even the reliable Yasir losing his way and getting hit for 107 off 28 overs.
Crawley played for all but 4.3 overs of a day when 90 overs were bowled at a venue that was hit by rain and bad light in the drawn second test last week.
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Seven killed, three injured in separate road accidents in UP
Mainpuri/Muzaffarnagar/Deoria (UP) (PTI): Seven people were killed and three others injured in separate road accidents in Mainpuri, Muzaffarnagar and Deoria districts of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.
All incidents took place on Tuesday night.
In Mainpuri, three persons, including a couple, were killed near the Shitala Devi Temple on Devi Road under Kotwali police circle when a pickup vehicle hit a motorcycle head-on, Superintendent of Police Ganesh Saha said.
The victims, Dharmendra Singh (50), his wife Baby (48), both residents of Ferozabad, and Sanjay Singh (40) of Tavepur village, were on the two-wheeler and were on their way to attend the cremation of a relative when the incident took place.
According to police, the pickup and a Wagon R car were attempting to overtake each other when the former went out of control and rammed into the motorcycle, killing all three riders on the spot. Police rushed to the scene and sent the bodies for post-mortem examination, Saha added.
In Muzaffarnagar's Charthawal town, a 30-year-old woman, identified as Imrana, was killed while another woman was injured after a speeding car hit them on Rajbaha Road.
Circle Officer Ravishankar said the victims were walking when the car struck them, throwing Imrana into a canal. She was declared dead by the doctors.
Following the incident, villagers staged a protest demanding action against the driver, who fled the spot without the vehicle. Police said efforts are underway to trace and arrest the accused.
In another incident in Deoria district, three persons were killed, and two others seriously injured when a car crashed into a tree in the Baghochghat area late Tuesday night, police said.
The accident occurred near Haji Market when a Bihar-registered Swift car coming from Pakaha went out of control and rammed into a roadside tree, leaving the vehicle badly mangled.
Police said five people were travelling in the car. Three of them died on the spot, while two injured persons were admitted to Maharshi Devaraha Baba Medical College in Deoria.
The deceased have been identified as Karan Kushwaha, a resident of Gopalganj district in Bihar, and Pintu Kumar of Dulharpur village under Phulwaria police station. The identity of the third deceased is yet to be established.
The injured have been identified as Govind Kushwaha (18) of Sisai village in Kushinagar and Bhola Srivastava alias Sonu (22). Police said the occupants had visited a relative's place in Kushinagar and were returning after attending a wedding function when the accident occurred.
Station House Officer Anil Tiwari said police had to use a gas cutter to rescue the victims trapped inside the vehicle.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination, and further legal proceedings are underway, he added.
