After weeks of high-octane build up, The Ashes 2023 finally got underway on June 16 at Edgbaston in Birmingham, with England electing to bat first after winning the toss on Day 1. With all the talks around how 'Bazball' will fare against its 'ultimate test', England did fairly well to put 393 runs on the board and were seen batting with a positive intent during the entirety of the action on the opening day of the five-match series.
Opener Zack Crawley displayed the intent from the English group on the very first delivery of the series as he crunched Australia skipper Pat Cummins through the covers for a boundary – a shot that certainly left the English skipper amused in the dressing room to kickstart proceeding for the Three Lions.
Though England looked to Bazball Australia with intent, the Aussies were quick to script a comeback and had the hosts three down for just 124 on the board at the stroke of Lunch. It needed a rescue act from someone in the middle order, and former skipper Joe Root took the onus on his shoulders. Root (118*) scored an impressive century and looked poised throughout his stay at the crease.
He stitched a 121-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who was making a comeback to the Test arena after an extended injury layoff due to a freak golf accident last year right before the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Bairstow also looked at ease and took to Test cricket like fish to water. He scored a run-a-ball 78, including 12 fours in his innings and counterattacked the Aussie bowlers who seemed on top after reducing the Ben Stokes-led side to 176 for five, but the thing that became the talking point by the end of the day's play was not how England managed to play fire with fire but the timing of their first innings' declaration.
With Root well-set and batting on 118 alongside Robinson and trying to accelerate, everyone expected them to push on and add as many runs as possible to put an intimidating total on the board, but the English skipper had other intentions.
Stokes declared the innings with 393 on the board to have a crack at the two Aussie openers before the end of day's play. Bairstow reflected on his skipper's decision and mentioned that it didn't surprise anyone in the English dressing room.
“I'm sure there's many decisions Ben has made that have taken commentators and other people by surprise, but it was no surprise to us,” said Bairstow as quoted by The Times of India.
“I'm delighted to be back out there on the big stage, during the big dance. It's something you want to be part of it and it didn't disappoint,” he added.
Bairstow also reflected on his partnership with Root and expressed happiness with the way it transpired. He heaped praise on the former English skipper for the knock he played.
“It was brilliant. There are some special traits that he's got and he does special things. As someone who has known him for a really long time, been through thick and thin, ups and downs, and lots of different things together, it was an absolute pleasure to be out there with him.”
In a short burst, England could manage to bowl four overs to both Usman Khawaja and his fellow southpaw David Warner, but the duo survived without any scare.
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