Hosts score at more than five an over before Ben Stokes springs surprise declaration
Matt Roller16-Jun-2023The first day of the 2023 Ashes started with Zak Crawley lacing Pat Cummins through cover for four, ended with Australia’s openers seeing out four overs following an opportunistic declaration, and hardly paused for breath in between.England had made clear that they would not change the approach that has brought them so much success in the last 12 months and hurtled towards 400 while scoring at five runs per over, looting 45 boundaries and playing out only two maidens all day.After three successive Ashes series without a hundred as captain, it was Joe Root who underpinned their innings. Several outlandish shots – he twice reverse-scooped sixes over the slip cordon – interspersed a high-tempo cruise and he played late, dabbing, flicking and punching singles out to boundary-riders.Related
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He brought up his hundred in 145 balls, clipping Nathan Lyon off his pads, then twice charged down to hit him back over his head for six in Lyon’s next over. With the second new ball approaching, Ben Stokes had seen enough and called his batters in to leave David Warner and Usman Khawaja 20 minutes to survive until the close.The Edgbaston crowd, who made themselves known to Australia’s boundary-riders throughout an unbridled opening day, became part of the theatre, teeing up Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson as they bounded in with the new ball. But both openers survived with few scares and will come back on Saturday hoping to set Australia on their way to a lead on a flat, slow pitch.It had long been clear that this Ashes would be played at a different tempo to any other, and the first ball of the series only served to reinforce that. Eighteen months ago in Brisbane, Mitchell Starc’s dismissal of Rory Burns set the tone for a tour defined by England’s dismal performances; here, Crawley crunched Cummins through the off side on the up.Cummins posted a deep backward point from the start, pre-empting England’s aggression and by the third over had three men on the rope. Their value was shown in the fourth: Ben Duckett only half-committed to a cut shot, with deep backward point nullifying his opportunity for a boundary, and edged Josh Hazlewood through to Alex Carey.Hazlewood’s inclusion for his first Test since January came as a surprise, with Mitchell Starc making way after playing in the World Test Championship final at The Oval last week. But he was the pick of Australia’s attack, finding some bounce on an unreceptive surface and finishing the day as their most economical bowler – even if he conceded more than four runs per over.Lyon came on early, introduced in the 10th over as though Cummins was dangling a carrot. He started with four men out, but Crawley was in no mood to milk singles, and thrashed the final ball of his first over for four through the covers. By drinks, he had lashed Scott Boland for two further boundaries.”Another 30 for Zak!” taunted an Australian fielder, picked up by the stump microphone, and Crawley’s innings should have ended before he had reached a half-century. He stepped across to the off side looking to whip Boland into the Eric Hollies Stand at midwicket and edged a lifter through to Alex Carey – but Australia did not appeal.He brought up his half-century off 56 balls, but had lost his partner just before. Ollie Pope, who settled into his innings after a frenetic start, lofted Lyon over mid-off but was trapped on the knee roll as he looked to whip across the line. Umpire Ahsan Raza initially gave him not out but ball-tracking confirmed the ball had pitched in line with leg stump.England ticked over throughout the session, taking an unprecedented 54 singles before lunch – yet Australia’s defensive fields were vindicated by three wickets in the first session, Crawley falling in the final over of the morning. He gloved behind as Boland found some extra bounce from a length, Australia successfully reviewing the on-field decision.Harry Brook, facing Australia for the first time in his career, counter-punched in the afternoon, lofting Lyon over cover from the eighth ball he faced. He cut and drove Boland for two boundaries in three balls, but nearly fell in the same over: he top-edged a short, wide ball which Travis Head initially failed to pick up at deep point, then dropped as he scampered in and dived forwards.England then lost two wickets in nine balls, leaving them 176 for 5. Brook’s dismissal was a freak: he shouldered arms to Lyon and the ball ballooned up off his thigh pad to a cry of “catch it”; Carey tried to but watched it land inside the crease and spin sharply back into middle stump. He caught the next one that came his way, an outside edge from Stokes as Hazlewood angled one across him.That brought Jonny Bairstow in for his first Test innings since September, and he survived a tight review for lbw off his first ball. But as Root cruised to a half-century without breaking sweat, Bairstow found his rhythm, slashing Cameron Green – who bowled only six overs in the day – over the off side.Root was given out on 61 but successfully overturned the lbw decision on review, having gloved the ball into his pad. It was the second of three successive reverse-sweeps he played off Lyon; the other two flew to the boundary.Bairstow played aggressor after tea as the partnership swelled past 100, but his dismissal for a run-a-ball 78 preceded a frantic passage of play. He and the returning Moeen Ali were both stumped off Lyon, charging down the pitch, before Broad lost his off stump to Green after hoicking a couple of fours.Root freed his arms after ticking past his hundred, a landmark that was met with a punch of the air and a standing ovation from around the ground. This was his first hundred against Australia in eight years, with a dozen unconverted half-centuries in between times, and the 30th of his Test career.There was enough time for him to take 20 runs off one Lyon over – along with Robinson, who reverse-swept him for four – before Stokes, wearing his bucket hat, gestured for the pair to come back in. There may never have been a day of Ashes cricket quite like it.
