England vs Zimbabwe: Duckett, Crawley and Pope pile on runs at Trent Bridge

Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope responded to pressure on their places by joining Ben Duckett in making centuries as England utterly dominated Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.

Opener Crawley and number three Pope are most vulnerable if Jacob Bethell returns to the England team for the series against India later in the summer.

But they made the decision harder for the selectors as England piled on 498-3 on the first day of the one-off Test, the most runs scored on the opening day of a Test in this country.

Duckett led the way with 140, adding 231 for the first wicket with Crawley, England’s highest opening partnership in a home Test since 1965.

Crawley followed with 124, his first Test century in almost two years, and Pope completed the triumvirate with a majestic unbeaten 169.

All this after Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to field under a leaden sky. When the clouds parted, England cashed in on a pristine batting surface.

Zimbabwe were not helped by a back injury to opening bowler Richard Ngarava just after lunch, but this was mis-match.

In a truncated four-day Test, England can now push to bowl out the tourists twice without having to bat again.