Duckett and Crawley on fire in England Ashes warm-up

PERTH: Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley shared in a 182-run opening stand Friday and Ben Stokes hit 84, but Joe Root and Harry Brook flopped in England’s only warm-up game before the Ashes series against Australia.

The Test openers were in good touch on a docile pitch at Lilac Hill in Perth against a second-string England Lions side.

It was a shot in the arm for Duckett who failed to fire in their recent ODI series in New Zealand, when he was out three times in single figures.

He slammed 92 off 97 balls while Crawley hit 82 against an attack spearheaded by Matthew Potts.

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While they capitalised, England’s record run-scorer Root, who is yet to score a Test century in Australia, lasted just 12 deliveries before being caught by Tom Haines off Potts for one.

Brook fared no better, bowled for two by Nathan Gilchrist, but Ollie Pope shored up his position as England’s number three ahead of Jacob Bethell with a measured 69.

Skipper Stokes slammed eight fours and three sixes as he backed up the 6-52 he took on his return to action Thursday after a four-month absence with a shoulder injury.

Pace spearhead Mark Wood, who complained of hamstring stiffness after sending down eight overs on the opening day, padded up and crunched a quickfire 31 to allay fears about his fitness for the first Test in Perth on November 21.