"Anthems over, Zak Crawley left the field and took the water handed to him by Matt Potts. If he was a little dry of mouth it would hardly be a surprise even without the burden of the brace of ducks he took from the first Test, the situation he was about to walk into might have verged awkwardly close to terrifying. He downed half the bottle, donned his helmet and turned back around."
"Mitchell Starc, the bowler who dismissed him in the opening over of each innings in Perth and is even more effective in these day-night games, dried his hands on the sun-baked turf as Crawley made his way to the middle, and picked up the new pink ball. Three slips set themselves for some catching practice. Crawley left the first pitched short, bouncing high"
"But there are few opportunities less inviting than starting the innings against Australia in a day-night game: of the 29 such partnerships from touring teams this was only the 10th worst and the sixth shortest, and it did not last as long as the opening over. Just seven of those 29 partnerships contributed as many as 20 runs, the same number scored fewer than three, and most didn't make it to 10."
Zak Crawley returned to the field after two ducks in Perth, drank water from Matt Potts, put on his helmet and faced Mitchell Starc. Starc, who dismissed him in the opening over of each Perth innings and is particularly effective in day-night games, picked up the new pink ball as three slips set. Crawley left the first ball, negotiated a couple of wobble-seamers and then punched his fourth through the covers for four, his first runs of the series. England's opening stand was modest but the best of the series; day-night touring openers often produce very short partnerships, with only seven of 29 reaching 20 runs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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