Zak Crawley scored his first Test century for England in nearly two years on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Kent opener was in the runs at Trent Bridge on the opening day of England’s Test match with Zimbabwe.

Crawley posted his hundred shortly after tea, hitting 12 fours as he took 145 balls to reach three figures.

It was his first England ton since he made 189 at Old Trafford against Australia in July 2023 – 28 innings ago.

Crawley’s place in the team has been scrutinised in recent months after a low run of scores. He had not passed 29 in his last 10 innings, including a tough tour of New Zealand at the end of last year.

In seven innings for Kent this summer, Crawley hit 219 runs with three half-centuries but he took advantage of batting-friendly conditions in Nottingham.

Crawley’s hundred was his fifth century for England in what is his 54th Test appearance.

He was eventually dismissed, leg before to Sikandar Raza after missing a sweep for 124 off 171 balls.

The innings also saw Crawley reach 3,000 Test runs for his country.