Ashes 2023

Watch: Ben Duckett walks down the pitch at Josh Hazlewood, almost takes out Zak Crawley with flat-batted straight drive | Ashes 2023

by Wisden Staff July 27, 2023 - 11:46am 3 minute read

Watch: During the fifth Test match of the 2023 Ashes, Ben Duckett walked down the pitch and hit a straight drive to force non-striker Zak Crawley to leap out of the way.

England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were off to a rollicking start after Pat Cummins opted to bowl in the fifth Test match of the 2023 Ashes, at the Kia Oval.

They blazed away to 24-0 after five overs, bowled by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Duckett was already advancing down the crease when Hazlewood released the first ball of the sixth over. Hazlewood bowled outside off stump, but Duckett had the line covered. He slapped the ball back, flat-batted, down the ground.

Had non-striker Crawley not leapt in the air, the ball would have hit him, but the England opener managed to move out of the way. He was on all fours as the ball raced to the straight boundary.

Duckett eventually got a faint edge off Mitchell Marsh to become the first wicket of the Test match for a run-a-ball 41. Four balls later, Cummins had Crawley caught at second slip for a 37-ball 22, while Joe Root chopped on to the stumps off Hazlewood for five.

At the time of writing, England were 73-3. Harry Brook had joined Moeen Ali (2) at the crease.