Batsman Zak Crawley emphatically blasted his first Ashes century as England took control of the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Thursday.

England hit the accelerator on day two - with rain expected to limit play over the final two days this weekend and the hosts needing to win to keep the five-game series alive - with 25-year-old Crawley leading the charge.

The former Tonbridge School pupil, who had been given out lbw in the first session off Cameron Green before he successfully reviewed, brought up his fourth Test ton with a cut for two from Australia captain Pat Cummins.

He eventually went for a majestic 189, which included three maximums and 21 fours, off 182 balls when he chopped a delivery from Green back onto his stumps. Nevertheless, England had reached 384-4 by day two’s close, a lead of 67 runs.

His century had come from 93 balls, with Crawley’s second 50 made inside just 26 balls.

It was his biggest Ashes score after he had contributed a first-innings 61 in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston and 48 at Lord’s in the second game before he was stumped.

Indeed, the right-hander’s 189 was the highest score by a Kent men’s player in an innings during an Ashes series. It surpassed the 188 by Mike Denness for England in Melbourne in 1975.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” he told Sky Sports. “It was good fun.

“I rode my luck at times - quite a lot of the time - but hit some good shots along the way. I was very pleased.”

It was Crawley’s first Test hundred since December, as he answered some of his critics after a poor run for England ahead of the series.

He revealed: “I do doubt myself but, at times, you’ve got to tell yourself ‘Keep being me.’ That’s the way I play, quite streaky, and I’ve got to ride my luck at times.

“Other times, I’ll go through a good patch of scoring quickly and I’ve just got to keep backing that game. Thankfully, I did today.”

And it’s a role Crawley is happy to have in the team under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

“They don’t want me to lose day’s like today,” he explained. “If I try to be more consistent, maybe I wouldn’t have had a day like today.

“I’m cool with that. I’ve tried to be consistent and it hasn’t worked for me - low scores, I’d much rather this, where you have a few low scores and one big one maybe.

“I was pleased with how I played. That’s more my template.”

His most recent England century before then came in Pakistan, with his others coming on a tour of the West Indies and a mammoth 267 in Southampton against Pakistan three years ago.

Bromley-born Crawley had shared a 206-run stand with Joe Root (84) and a second-wicket partnership of 121 with Moeen Ali, who recorded 54.

Earlier, 40-year-old James Anderson (1-51) and Chris Woakes (5-62) had taken the two wickets England required to get Australia all out for 317. They had been 299-8 overnight.

On the game situation and how it had left the mood in the England dressing room, Crawley added: “It’s a good vibe, today was a good day for us.

“We’re in a good position as a team, so I’m sure the boys are happy.”

Kent bowling coach Simon Cook reacted to Crawley's knock, saying: "Certainly in our dressing room, we back him 100 per cent because he’s the sort of player who can play those sorts of innings.

“He takes games away from the opposition. On a wicket like it is at Old Trafford, a good wicket, he’s facing a very good bowling attack that Australia have got.

“But he’s an exceptional player of fast bowling and showed that today."