Crawley, 22, finished day one of the Third Test against Pakistan on an unbeaten 177no from 269 deliveries, rescuing England from 4-127 to end at 4-332 at stumps.
The right-hander, playing just his eighth Test, produced an outstanding knock when his side needed it, working well alongside Jos Buttler who made 87no in their unbroken 215-run stand.
“It felt great and just how I imagined it, an unbelievable feeling of elation out there,” Crawley said, having previously posted three Test half-centuries.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve had on a cricket field, a great moment. It was all a bit of a blur, but I could see the lads up on the balcony.
“I was trying to stay calm but inside I was absolutely buzzing.
“It almost flashed before my eyes - my whole career so far. I could kind of see all the nets I’d done in the past and all the time I had gone on my own to hit some balls.
“You do question yourself when you’re in a run of low scores and you can’t buy a run, whether it was worth it or whether you’re better off doing something else. It was all worth it.”
Crawley’s heroics came after England skipper Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat, only for Rory Burns to be dismissed early for 6 from under-pressure Shaheen Afridi.
England steadied but lost Dom Sibley for 22 to Yasir Shah, before losing two quick wickets with Root out for 29 and Ollie Pope following him back to the pavilion three overs later for 3.
Yasir Shah was Pakistan’s best with the ball, taking 2-107 from his 28 overs but the visitors were left well off the pace after the first day.